Sally's reading constantly in 2021--Q 2

2021 Second Quarter Books

First Quarter Totals=

SF&F -
Children’s -
YA -0
Non-fiction -
General Fiction -
Classics -
Paranormal -
Romances -
Mysteries -
Horror -
Historical Fiction -
Sports -

April

46. Love and the Laws of Physics by A. C. MacLaren
47. The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross
48. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
49. Strike Three! by Clair Bee
50. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
51. Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher
52. Wild Mountain Thyme by Rosamunde Pilcher
53. Flowers in the Rain and Other Stories by Rosamunde Pilcher
54. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
55. Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany
56. Hit or Miss by Everly Ashton
57. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
58. Sherlock Holmes - The Vanishing Man by Philip Purser-Hallard
59. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire

May

60. License to Ensorcell by Katherine Kerr
61. The Transformation of Philip Jettan by Georgette Heyer
62. The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer
63. The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag
64. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
65. Black Coral by Andrew Mayne
66. Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of the Stapledons by
67. Loving the Scarred Soldier by Rose Pearson
68. The Kindly Man by Andy Monk
69. I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter by Dr. Harper
70. In League with Sherlock Holmes edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger
71. A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
72. Knitting America: A Glorious Heritage from Warm Socks to High Art by Susan M. Strawn
73. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
74. The Tale of Tam Linn by Lari Don
75. The Princess Trials by Cordelia K. Castel
76. Secret Prey by John Sandford
77. Archangels's Sun by Nalini Singh
78. The Duchess of Chocolate by Sydney Jane Baily
79. A Duke's Promise by Joyce Alec
80. A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson
81. A Viscount's Secret by Joyce Alec
82. Handmade Books by Kathy Blake

June

83. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini
84. Water to Burn by Katherine Kerr
85. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
86. When Maidens Mourn by C. S. Harris
87. Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield
88. Mister Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester
89. What Darkness Brings by C. S. Harris
90. The Alabaster Hip by Maggie Fenton
91. Saving Sophia: A Modern Faerie Tale by Brian Norvaisis
92. Always a Bluestocking, Never the Bride by Emily E K Murdoch
93. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
94. The Perfect Mistress by Victoria Alexander
95. Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire

46. Love and the Law of Physics by A. C. MacLaren

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

I enjoyed this book, both for the successful romances, both teen and adult, as well as its light touch--this is by no means a deep story. That said, there were both bothersome characteristics and included tropes, as well as enjoyable ones. I should mention, for those who have a preference, that there are some very explicit sexual descriptions and scenes, which were a little out of place for me in a novel about teens. Also, please be aware that some general comments below could serve as spoilers.

Some of the better things included were these following. The characters showed some lack of confidence in sexual expression, which I think is normal, but not always mentioned. Even kissing is something about which people have anxiety, and one of the protagonists did. Also, it was good to have both the male and female characters muse about or express their feelings, because usually female characters do, but it is less common to have male characters be expressive about feelings. Still, I must say, I wondered about the gender of the writer, and if the feelings expressed by the male characters were realistic, or if instead they were as imagined or desired by a female author. In addition, it was good to see some frequent downsides to romance coming into people's lives, such as "honeymoon cystitis" and the risk of strong difficult feelings that are hard for teens to manage. Importantly, it was cute to have the connection to physics in the title, since Physics class was the setting of the teen characters' getting to know each other. That had a negative aspect too, though, because the cute physics chapter titles seemed strained.

That brings me to some more negative points. In some ways the overwhelmingly positive outcomes to the romances seemed too positive; all the realistic risks failed to cause negative consequences, and all the romances were characterized as having wholly pleasant outcomes. Exactly one quarrel is depicted, and it is brief and leaves no ill feelings. Also, I wondered about the realism of the part where the 17 year-old high-school girl wanted so much to divest herself of her virginity. It must be included that I was irritated by the use of the trope wherein two people feel something like an electric shock when they first touch--does that ever happen? I must say I was also irritated by the times when clearly spell-check was the only copy-editing: when "poured" showed up for "pored", and "risky" for "risqué".

Some more serious problems occurred as well. I thought the one brief suicide mention was too casual, and waved away too quickly. This had the potential to imply to younger readers that suicidal impulses are easy to manage with only the most casual help. I also thought the family conflicts in the teen girl's family were resolved too easily. As difficult as their relationships were, could they really all dissolve when the protagonists wanted them to? The worst thing of all involved the pacing, in that everything seemed to wind up two-thirds of the way through the book, and a few scenes seemed tacked on to the end rather to make sure they were there, even though they were not part of the original story. The quarrel was one of these, and was included, it seems, to provide a little afterthought balance to the "everything is easy" story.

All in all, if a prospective reader seeks in this only the light romance that is there, this is a pleasant read.

Please note that this review is posted due to receiving an Advance Reader Copy, in thanks, but the content of the review was not restricted.

Oh, I'm the first one (after you) posting in your new thread! Happy new thread then!
I've been doing some active catching and am glad baby Andrew is now on a good track.
I can see you're back on your reading path, and I'm happy you're enjoying it!

47. The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross

Last quarter I read what I thought was the first of the Laundry series, only to discover that it was the second, and that this is the first. This has all the joys of the other one, although I must say that it was a tad gruesome in spots. You see, referencing Godwin's Law, any computer conversation sufficiently prolonged will eventually mention Hitler. So this being about people who do spycraft and magic via computing and the internet, of course the main character must take a girl to the Atrocity Archive in Belgium (if I remember correctly) while on a work-related trip, and the description of some of the artifacts and devices in the basement were, umm, insalubrious. Of course, there is intrigue and plotting in this book, and also action. The hero and anti-heroine must become allies, and then lovers, of course.

Oh, this was fun, and full of little computer and internet jokes and digs. I enjoyed it immensely.

48. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. This is one of those well-regarded novels that I have read before, but never really appreciated. I always wondered what was supposed to be so good about it. Finally, it hit me. We all know it is about a fairly hard-boiled private detective in Los Angeles. He is hired by a weakening rich man, old and with two difficult, spoiled daughters. Philip Marlowe is a hard-working, upright man, who drinks and smokes a lot. He is blunt to a fault, and explains that he was fired from a job with the DA's office because of his habit of "talking back". He returns money he has not earned, and refuses to take advantage of the daughters, finding the whole family tragic, as they are, in fact. He particularly feels great sympathy for his client, who appears to be nearing death, the Big Sleep.

It is this air of real tragedy and the careful drawing of these characters that lifts this above some other similar novels. For the first time I felt the impact of this novel, and the poignancy of the approach of the Big Sleep as it hovers over everyone in this story. You don't need me to tell you that this is highly recommended.

>5 sallypursell: I’ve never read that one, Sally. I’ll keep it in mind...thank you.

49. Strike Three! by Clair Bee Finally, in moving on with the Chip Hilton books from my childhood, I got to a baseball book! These were the ones that I was avid for then, for baseball (softball) was the only sport I cared about, the only one I played. I was a really good batter, but I couldn't do anything else, not catch or throw. Later I was good at field hockey, because I was a terrifying guard, I heard, and basketball, for the same reason. But I could never make a basket, and my passing was only fair. My feet were easier. I was a great sprinter, broke every short run or relay run record that my high school had, but of course it didn't matter, because no one cared what sports girls played, or cared about their records.

Strangely, I didn't find this book as gripping as the first two. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Coach Bee cared more about basketball than anything else, and was a renowned basketball coach. It doesn't matter; it was the same bell that it struck, and I am glad to be re-reading these. They don't take a much over an hour to get through, since as a rule they are only about 200 pages.

50. Farewell, my Lovely by Raymond Chandler I don't know what to say about this after spending so much time with The Big Sleep, but this one makes so poignant Philip Marlowe's feelings about women. It seems that he longs for a woman, a wife, who will share his life, but he consistently admires women he meets who are involved with other men. He admires their better qualities; courage, intelligence, contemplativeness over life, submission only when he transcends his gritty job. He loves beauty, of course, he is a man of sensibility, but he is able to find it in many women. It is sad that he is so lonely, but inevitable as he is painted.

Women admire in him this courage, intelligence, cleverness, and more than anything his indomitability. He never quits, and he is single-minded at a goal. He may not always succeed, but, with all his faults, he succeeds at the task in front of him by his own definition of succeeds. He is not satisfied with this, and it is why he must wrestle with life, because he has set himself at impossible tasks with impossible definitions of fully successful. Still, he goes on, always trying, always a gentleman when he can be. I liked this one more than the first.

51. Snow in April
52. Wild Mountain Thyme
53. Flowers in the Rain and Other Stories, all by Rosamunde Pilcher

I want to discuss these together. They were in a one-volume collection, and reading them together elucidated for me a problem I have had with Rosamunde Pilcher since her novel The Shell Seekers took the world by storm. It was so well-regarded that I gave a copy to my mother. I knew she would love it, but it gave me an uneasy feeling even then, in 1987. It was a feeling I couldn't define, but now I know why I had it.

All the good trimmings are present. There are carefully-described places and people. There are fraught situations. There are various family, some who interact easily with the protagonist, and some who never seem to rub along well. A crisis occurs, is weathered, and a resolution is reached. With the first novel I was still unable to say where I felt the whole thing lacked. With the second I suspected. With the stories I felt more sure, and now I'm willing to say it out loud. I know if I read any one at a time I would enjoy it, by the way, but I still wouldn't feel satisfied.

All the main characters are attractive and accomplished in each his or her own way. Most of the men are stock-brokers or bankers. Most of the women are young career girls, or women who are happy housewives. Love and marriage solve the main dilemma, and no one seems to be dissatisfied with his or her lot afterwards. I like the Scottish folk that peopled the plots, but I wondered if they were stereotypes. This isn't real. This isn't true. This is what bothered me all along. I wondered if some career girls might be unhappy as farmers' wives. I wondered if some marriages disappointed a little. Even my own, really happy marriage has had its difficulties and traumas. I feel much better about Rosamunde Pilcher now.

>4 sallypursell:

>10 dianeham: Wow, thanks for that quotation. It certainly does clarify what I was trying vainly to describe.

>11 sallypursell: It’s where Scorsese got the title of his movie Mean Streets.

Hi. Enjoyed these Raymond Carver reviews and learning about Philip Marlowe. Interesting about Rosamond Pilcher.

I enjoyed your comments about Rosamunde Pilcher. I read the Shell Seekers years ago. I don’t remember anything about it, and trying to remember if I’ve read anything else by her.

Enjoying following your reading, Sally. It seems to take me forever these days to get around to everyone's threads. Have informed Michael that you have read the Stross so he can get over here are read your review. :-)

>15 avaland: Lois, you might ask Michael to read the review I wrote of the first book, The Jennifer Morgue at >70 sallypursell:. It is more complete.

>9 sallypursell: Okay, so reading your threads about Pilcher, I pulled all my novels by her off the shelf to keep! Originally I was planning to have the book guys take them when they came to get many of my books, but your thread inspired me to keep them and re-read them.

>17 LadyoftheLodge: I'll be looking forward to your opinion.

54. Discount Armegeddon by Seanan McGuire

I think this was more fun than anything else I can remember for quite a while. The main character was a cryptozoologist from a family of cryptozoologists. This family at one time was part of a quasi-religious cult which spends its time hunting for paranormal creatures living in the human world, and kills them without compunction. Three generations ago the Price family, with some Healeys, defected from the group in favor of learning about and preserving cryptids--paranormal creatures, especially sentient ones. According to this book they have employed an attempt at eradication of the Price family by the Covenant about 100 years ago to go underground and allow the Covenant to believe them all dead. They have employed their skills since then in hiding, but for the benefit and preservation of cryptids who can learn to live with humankind, and to enhance the Price-family-in-hiding's knowledge of the biology and behavior of these "monsters". "Monsters", of course, is what the Covenant calls them, and they learn more only to be able to eliminate cryptids violently, and on first sight.

Verity Price, 25 years old, is serving her journeyman's year in New York City while she decides between spending her life as a cryptozoologist and spending it as a competitive ballroom dancer. In any case she needs to be able to defend herself from dangerous crytids and the occasional Covenant agent, who cannot be allowed to take knowledge of living Prices back to the Cult. She has spent her childhood and youth training with weapons and fighting techniques, as well as setting traps and knowing a great deal about known cryptids.

What Verity does for pleasure is free running across the roofs of New York. She is doing that when she is caught in a trap set by a Covenant agent unexpectedly in New York. He does not have the heart to kill another human on sight, and instead he tries to ferret out her knowledge and beliefs, hoping to enlist a "traitor" back to the True Cause. His name is Dominic De Luca, he is formal and serious, good in a fight, dressed all in black, and soon they will be lovers.

Verity goes home to crash, and awakens to a religious ceremony in her bedroom, where the local colony of Aeslin mice are celebrating the Sixth Day of the Month of Do Not Put That in Your Mouth. You see, Aeslin mice are mouse-sized and mouse-shaped cryptids who worship the Price family as their gods. They are religious fanatics with a complicated calendar, Price-quoting Feasts, and every penchant to cheer and perform cute Disney-mice type routines with saltines, cake, and cheese.

How this all gets worked out is the fun, with the Aeslin mice as the floorshow, although they appear sparingly, I assume to preserve the impact. My favorite celebration occurs every eight years, and is the commemoration of the Union of the Noisy Priestess to the God of Things That It Is Almost Certainly Better Not to Be Aware Of, or in other words, the meeting of Verity's Grandma and Grandpa.

55. Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delaney

An Englishwoman moves to the United States, and opens a book and knickknack shop devoted to Sherlock Holmes and Sherlockiana, like playing cards and teapots with the silhouette, or a portrait, or a deerstalker and magnifying glass. There are even puzzles. It is a popular shop, with patrons from local towns and tourists.

A woman leaves behind on a shelf in the books a very valuable first printing of a story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's. When the bookseller tries to look into the background of the woman she discovers a murder, only to be suspected by the police herself. Naturally, she must uncover the guilty party herself.

The owner of the bookshop seems to be autistic, and has something of Sherlock's skills at observation. People in the bookshop and adjoining tea-shop find her endearing, but it's certainly true that she irritates strangers and a few acquaintances. I liked her story, but I didn't find her charming at all. Her best friend was lovely, though. This book was light and fun, although it wasn't as well done as #58. Still, I wouldn't mind another experience of hers at another time.

56. Hit or Miss by Everly Ashton

I keep trying various contemporary romance novels, hoping to find more as good as some of the ones I've reported on, like Love Letters, which was terrific.
This wasn't good at all, and I didn't finish the end. It was about a woman who becomes flatmates with a doctor, with romance ensuing. There was rather a lot of gratuitous sex, with lots of detail. I never mind erotica, but this wasn't enjoyable at all.

57. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

I have been trying to figure out what to say about this book, and largely failing. This is the part of Cromwell's story where Anne Boleyn falters and is deposed and arrested--for witchcraft, among other charges! It is supposed that she was treasonous by sharing her bodily favors with several other men of the court, and that she ensorcelled Henry to cause him to be so fixedly infatuated with her, to the detriment of the King and the country (There's that "the King's state is reflected in the health of the Land"; the Fisher King effect).

Most of my fellow readers seem to feel that Cromwell has changed, something he shows in his quiet lust for the downfalls of several gentlemen. I saw the deterioration in the last third of Wolf Hall, and I think this is just his way of punishing the men who were most integral to the fall of Cromwell's beloved Cardinal Wolsey. I also think this is what he has had in mind for years. After all, for the Queen to fail, only one gentleman was necessary; this is gratuitous ill-treatment of several men who wronged Wolsey and thus incurred Cromwell's ire. It is cruelty, but Cromwell's worst sin, I believe is that of Pride. He, like Anne, has decided that he has the Good of England in his mind, but only if England agrees with his personal wishes. It is an infamous level of self-absorption and self-importance. Because he has a grudge against these gentlemen of the Court, they must die for the Good of England.

Anne has the same besetting sin, and her fall presages a fall for Cromwell.

Most of our reading group seemed to enjoy this book more than Wolf Hall. I, on the other hand, liked Wolf Hall much more, simply for the atmosphere of expansion--for Cromwell's rise to functionary plenipotentiary. I agree that Bring Up the Bodies was stunning in its execution. It was more brisk to read, and didn't require much of a reader's energy to get through. Still, the chilling atmosphere of the general slide into that chaotic "justice" just made it hard for me to enjoy. There was a creeping feeling of doom settling in for a not-so-nice stay.

58. Sherlock Holmes - The Vanishing Man by Philip Purser-Hallard

Now this one was good. It is written quite a bit like the originals, and featured a locked-room mystery that was really different, and really hard to solve. It could have been called a "three-pipe problem".

A man vanishes from a locked room, where he is observed every five minutes through a night. He is doing this to collect a large monetary reward for proof of any occult talent or event, from a society of those interested in the Paranormal. The men are of great probity, or they are famous, in their own right, for some legitimate talent--for painting, for invention, for learning, or the like. The experiment concludes with the membership in turmoil over whether some normal explanation can be found for this event. Ten thousand pounds and the society's reputation are on the line, and the Chairman of the committee retains Sherlock Holmes to investigate.

This takes a while, involves Sherlock Holmes doing carpentry, and also the Irregulars being the housekeeping staff while Mrs. Hudson goes on vacation. Dr. Watson repairs to a hotel for two nights, not being able to put up with the lumber and the hammering day and night.

Needless to say, Sherlock finds out the fraud and saves the day. Watson does his typical job of recounting the details, and I will want to read more in this series. Not as good as the originals, but quite lively and fun.

>19 sallypursell: maybe book 54 is a comment on how fast you read.

>22 sallypursell: I hope to read your comments on Bring Up the Bodies. But I might not see them unless you let us know you edited that post. Please do!

Your comments on the Delaney make me want to search out that one.

I read Bring up the Bodies last year and hope to finish the trilogy this summer with the daunting The Mirror and the Light.

>24 dchaikin: I expect you are right, Dan. But I know if I could just remember the title or the author it would all come back.

>22 sallypursell: glad you highlighted this update. Enjoyed your review. Like you, I preferred Wolf Hall, and maybe for somewhat similar reasons. I don't actually understand all of what Cromwell was thinking, but I think your note about pride is very relevant. It would help make sense of a lot of things in the novel.

>19 sallypursell: 🙂

59. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire

This is the fourth volume in the October Daye series. The first episode was good, but this series has just gotten better and better. In this entry the stakes are higher and Toby still suffers from a lack of knowledge about the nobility of the Summerlands (Faeryland), as well as many complicated obligations she has incurred in her role as a knight in the service of Duke Sylvester Torquill, the seigneur of one of the Courts of the Nobles. She labors under both these responsibilities and the fallout of her past actions, with their political and personal implications.

Now she must deal with the criminal action in which she was required to kill a noble of the Fae, and a danger to the life of the Lady Lily of the Tea Gardens. Lily is both a beloved faery, and one to whom she owes much. The Lady seems to be sinking to a death of unknown nature. In addition, Duke Sylvester's consort is similarly sinking.

Time is running out to save them and save herself from the legal consequences of her past actions. Moreover, the killer appears to be a daughter of Duke Sylvester in conjunction with a dangerous past enemy, Oleander de Merelands, a woman who was partly responsible for Toby's unfortunate earlier imprisonment of fourteen-years. This will be difficult news to report, and Toby will need all her wiles to verify these charges, as well as to save both ladies' lives. In addition, she must defend herself from serious charges of murder.

It is difficult to circumvent all these problems, and more difficult to exert any control over the outcome. Of course, Toby is mostly successful, although some tragedy is built in to this kind of complicated and dangerous activities.

This was great fun to read, it resolves Toby's past actions, and sets up the future for her further great missions. Toby rules!

60. License to Ensorcell by Katherine Kerr

In an area in San Francisco lives an unusual, large, Irish-Catholic family. What is unusual about them is their wide array of "talents"--psychic in nature. Lately they have been plagued with tragedy; the father is missing and the mother's behavior is difficult and not entirely reasonable. Not only these, but one son is missing, and the family feel that there is a good chance that he has been killed, as there has been a rash of werewolf killings around San Francisco this season. He was known to be troubled, but also a werewolf. Right now the family is overseen by Aunt Eileen, mother's sister, who is taking care of the younger kids, as well as Father Patrick, a brother of the mother, who is a Catholic priest. Younger members of the family who have stepped to the fore are a daughter in her 20's and some other of the older siblings.

This daughter, Nola O'Grady, works for a secret agency of the United States, one is so obscure that even the CIA doesn't know about it. Nola has been posted to the San Francisco Bureau in response to a reading of the I Ching that was done by her handler.

Nola uses various skills in her work, mostly consisting of subconscious clues rendered into visible symbols and remote sensing of more than one kind. She has developed some ways to get more out of these than you might expect, and it is her creative uses of her gifts which has made her a valuable agent in the agency which knows about this kind of thing.

Nola's family is fascinating, and they support each other. Their individual troubles are truly difficult and far outside the kind of family troubles we readers are accustomed to.

The inclusion of something like dimensional gateways makes for sub-plots that would be enough for separate novels, and they keep Nola's agency's jargon and procedures from being tedious. This is really different, and I look forward to reading the next novel in the series.

61. The Transformation of Philip Jettan by Georgette Heyer

This is an early novel of Heyer's, and it is also known as Powder and Patch. In this one, Heyer takes on the story of a gentleman farmer, who knows quite well whom he will marry. Unfortunately, she has been taught to be all that is fashionable, and Philip, her erstwhile suitor has been rejected for his crude manner of dressing and his social graces. Philip is initially insulted by this, but then plans to "show her!" by moving to Paris, and studying fashion-forwardness and up-to-the-minute fashionable affectations. He has an uncle there who is up to teaching him, and who has offered in the past. Philip must soon appear a paragon of the type she has said that she wants, and he must be the picture of all he has despised for its uselessness in former times. Good farming may be his goal, but to catch this charming butterfly to which he has his expectations pinned, he will have to show that he can be more than a good farmer.

The lady, Cleone, is not so shallow as this situation paints her, but when Philip returns with the transformation to all that she might have wished, it is hard not to be flattered that he has put so much effort toward pleasing her. She believes he can scintillate in company, but continue in private to excel as a man of substance and intelligence.
All in all, both young people are happy with the changes, since Philip has proven an admirable figure with perfect taste. They resume a serious courtship, both fully expecting to marry and live Happily Ever After.

62. The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer

63. The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag

A woman who runs a dress shop is able to help along some romantic entanglements with the aid of practical magic made of special stitchery. This was pleasant, and a little different from the typical romance story, but ultimately did not have anything special about it. Worth spending a day on, but not more.

64. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

65. Black Coral by Andrew Mayne

This is the sequel to #26. The Girl Beneath the Sea. I enjoyed it very much, and the heroine's specialty of diving in the region of Florida's large cities and in the ocean is most interesting. She solves things like mysteries and problems that come her way, using her abilities and intellect. The family of the protagonist is quite interesting, with crooks and dreamers, and her daughter and significant other are worth spending some time getting to know. I will be reading more of these.

66. Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of the Stapletons by James Lovegrove

This is a popular Sherlockian author, I learned, but I can't see why. I didn't like the renditions of Sherlock, of Watson, or really, anyone. This is not really a new plot, either, but some take-off of Hound of the Baskervilles. I will most certainly not be looking for more of this author's representations of some beloved fictional characters.

I'll be interested in your review of 60, the Katherine Kerr book. I've liked some of hers, but I haven't encountered any of her urban fantasy that I recall - if you like it, I may check it out. Or if you dislike it for reasons that won't bother me...there's always the reader's 50%.

I'm sorry I'm behind. I should get there in the next few days.

No biggie - I just wanted to register my interest (so I remember to check on it, mostly!). Nice thing about books, they don't go bad.

I didn't really want to mention it, it's not worth the time, but the truth is, I am having a really bad Fibromyalgia flare, and I just can't do anything that requires energy, which this does. I'll be back when I can.

>40 sallypursell: hope you feel better soon.

Ugh. Feel better - and don't push yourself! Certainly not for my interest, it's not that important.

>40 sallypursell: Take care, Sally!

>40 sallypursell: Hope that attack simmers down, Sally. Thinking of you.

>40 sallypursell: I hope you are doing better, Sally. We miss you around here.

>16 sallypursell:

Glad you're liking the Stross Laundry books. I've read up through volume 4 (of 10 novels and some novellas so far). Volume 4 was feeling a bit formulaic, but I understand he gets around that problem in later volumes by foregrounding other characters, especially Dominique.

Take care, Sally. I hope you feel better soon.

Wish you well Sally.

Thank you all for the good wishes. I had a relapse, and got sick for two more weeks or so. I'm back to unable to do much, rather miserable pain, and fuzzy brain. I hate it, of course.

For the last week I've been almost unable to read--quelle horreur! I've tried more and more fun and easier-to-read books, only to find I couldn't read them either--nothing was really all that fun or easy to read. I've taken stabs at a number, with very little success. In a week I only managed something like two books. Nothing challenging, either. I know the books will wait, but it is difficult to pass the time without books. I have never liked TV. I was two/thirds finished with The Mirror and the Light and I haven't been able to read any more of it.

That stinks Sally. I hope you feel better soon.

Aw, that's rotten, Sally. Best wishes for this current relapse to pass quickly for you.

Sally, that sounds rough. Hope you can move past this patch soon.

I hope this passes quickly, Sally.

I'm getting better, I think. I am able to read again, and I enjoyed a book. I can't remember how many weeks it has been since I could.

67. Loving the Scarred Soldier by Rose Pearson

This scarred soldier was much less horrid-looking than he seemed to think. He had apparently been hiding from his former intended assuming that she would rather think he was dead than see him the way he was. Not very believable, really, but the way this worked out was okay if you granted this initial set of conditions. This was adequately written and had some nice scenes. I couldn't really like it, though, and I don't recommend it.

>55 sallypursell: So glad you are able to read again!

68. The Kindly Man by Andy Monk A woebegone prostitute in a past London wakes to discover that no one recognizes her and that she has a chance to escape the fate she has been expecting. She was dying of the pox, and abused by almost everyone she knew. She doesn't know what happened, but she is excited to find out what may come about of this unexpected change.

This was better than this synopsis sounds, but I didn't want to read on in this series to see the rest.

69. I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter by Dr. Harper

This was not worth anyone's time. I can only assume that we were meant to come to the conclusion gradually that this was an unreliable narrator. In fact, by the middle I had concluded that the bulk of the story was a delusion, and I decided that the Dr. Harper person was by no means a doctor, and certainly not a psychiatrist or psychologist. He or she did not seem to know what the ethical limits of proper behavior of such a therapist might be, and did not even follow expected behavior from the very start of the novel. Towards the end we were led to believe that he thought it was okay to illegally imprison two people to prevent their dangerous behavior and in fact, that it was reasonable to plan for this in advance by constructing a place to accompish this. The cat was well out of the bag far before this. This was clearly all make believe. Not at all recommended. Avoid this.

70. In League with Sherlock Holmes edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger

I read three books recently which were pastiches of the Holmes canon, or stories of a similar ilk, and this was by far the best of the three. These were various stories by noted writers, and although as you might expect, they differed, the majority were good, and some were simply excellent. I see that these two authors continued to collect stories of this type and publish them in collection. I recommend this one, and I would expect the others to be good, too.

71. A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King

72. Knitting America: A Glorious Heritage from Warm Socks to High Art by Susan M. Strawn

73. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire

74. The Tale of Tam Linn by Lari Don

75. The Princess Trials by Cordelia K. Castel

This was a frank derivative of the Hunger Games, and not nearly as good. The consequences weren't so dire, but that just diluted it, and didn't make it more palatable. Some of the best stories for young adults have very dire consequences, because those are the stories people have always wanted to hear, and they seem to exorcise some fear, or enable young people to deal more acceptably with their worst nightmares. In the original Cinderella the wicked step-mother was given red-hot metal boots, and "she danced until she died". Not a Disney story, was it?

76. Secret Prey by John Sandford

77. Archangel's Sun by Nailini Singh

I enjoy this series, The Guild Hunters series, although I can't say it is fine fiction. This one, though, did not really strike my fancy. My favorite characters, who are the protagonists of almost every book, were nowhere to be found, and instead this book focused on the Archangel Titus and what seemed to me to be an unlikely romance with The Hummingbird, a beloved character in earlier books. Oh, well, in every series there is sometimes one that doesn't work as well, and I did note before that the writer seemed to be "phoning it in" in two of the previous books--contract-fulfilling, I assume. The rest of the series was usually enjoyable, and there were some good scenes in this, too.

78. The Duchess of Chocolate by Sydney Jane Baily

79. A Duke's Promise by Joyce Alec

80. A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson

81. A Viscount's Secrets by Joyce Alec

82. Handmade Books by Kathy Blake

I sampled a number of books that my library had on this topic, or could easily get, and this was the only one I found that explained enough to perform several types of bindings while not confusing me or making me feel inadequate to the task. I believe I will have to buy a copy of this if I can find one. I haven't looked yet. If you have any interest in this topic I would recommend this book.

83. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini (I must apologize for the length of this post. I felt the need to describe the whole plot, it was so interesting. Also, be aware that it is a spoiler of all spoilers. If you know the novel, you could skip to the last two paragraphs.)

The epitome of swashbuckle! A young man of uncertain parentage has the benefit of an interested godfather of noble blood and fine reputation. The godfather is, however, no more than a well-born farmer, and he has provincial principles. At a time when France is boiling in the angst and brutality of the French Revolution, he is out of step. He is fortunate that in the farming areas of Brittany there is mainly peace; the tumult is chiefly in Paris.

The young man, by name Andre-Louis Moreau, is a provincial lawyer, who was educated by the support of his godfather, The Lord of Gavrillac. Gavrillac's niece Aline was his childhood friend and playfellow, and Andre-Louis loves her. He knows that socially he cannot aspire to her hand in marriage, but there is a widely-held belief in the district that the Lord of Gavrillac is his father, but that Andre-Louis was not born of a legal marriage, and is not acknowledged. On this basis, he hopes.

A proud and dangerous nobleman, the Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr, seeks Aline's hand, and has Gavrillac's blessing. Aline is ambitious, and sees no reason not to accept. Andre-Louis does not appreciate the cruel streak he perceives in the Marquis, and tries to warn her away. In this he is only partly moved by his hopes; he is also concerned for Aline.

It seems that he is correct about the Marquis, for when Andre-Louis comes to the estate he brings an enthusiastic pro-republican friend with him to seek help for the wife and children of a poacher who was killed by the Marquis's gamekeeper. According to the game laws this was correctly done, but Philippe de Valmorin, Andre-Louis's friend and a seminarian, conceives of the act as murder. He is passionate about the subject, and frustrated with Andre-Louis in that Andre-Louis is a cynic, and sees nothing to be done since the killing followed the law.

Philippe presents his case to the Marquis and the Lord of Gavrillac, who were meeting to discuss the possible arrangement of marriage. Afterwards, while the Lord and Aline are meeting so that he can tell her about the offer, the Marquis provokes Philippe until he is forced into a duel. The Marquis kills him handily, since he is a fine swordsman, and Philippe is unaccustomed to the sport or use of the sword. Philippe's hand was forced, as having insulted the Marquis he could not refuse the duel. It was complicated by the fact that Philippe was well-born. A peasant could have given way to the Marquis, but Philippe cannot and will not. The Marquis comments to Philippe's body that he had been possessed of "a dangerous eloquence", and could not be allowed to live.

Philippe's killing does not provide the result the Marquis expected. He had hoped to silence Philippe, but instead his cruelty and cold-blooded demeanor inspire Andre-Louis to determine that he will replace Philippe's with his own eloquence, and will take on Philippe's beliefs to promote, despite the fact that they differ from his own. He decamps from Gavrillac and the society of his godfather and Aline.

Soon Andre-Louis finds himself in Nantes, where under the name "Omnes Omnibus" he whips up a crowd with convincing rhetoric according to Philippe's beliefs. A near-riot occurs when the assembled partisans of republican beliefs become incensed against the rapacious nobility and its excesses.

Perceiving himself in danger for disturbing the peace, Andre-Louis leaves Nantes. Despondent and near-starving, he wanders country roads, unsure of his next steps. Then, to his relief, he falls in with a traveling theatre troupe, a group devoted to the Commedia Dell'arte. The Commedia, formerly an early Italian form of comedy theatre, uses lightly-scripted scenarios in which actors improvise their roles. The roles, though, are based on certain "types" of characters. Scaramouche is one, and represents either a type of buffoon or a witty commentator, improvising dialogue which uses current events on which to comment sarcastically: he is one or the other type of clown.

This troupe is missing a young male actor, who recently left for another position. Andre-Louis is as glad to be needed as they are glad to find him for the role. The troupe takes him in, and according to their habit begin calling him "Scaramouche", the role they expect him to play. He proves to have an unexpected gift for comedy, and being vastly more educated than the troupe writer about the literature from which the scenarios tend to be taken, he soon begins to help by writing better scenarios. The troupe's takings begin to improve, and they begin playing larger towns. Eventually they plan to play Nantes, a sizable place, and by this time they are becoming well-known and taking in greatly more money than they need to live on. It is inevitable that the troupe leader notices his troupe sliding out of his control, and the members beginning to look to Andre-Louis for decisions rather than to himself. Soon his daughter Climene, an ingenue, falls for his magnetism and they are engaged. All is going well until she is lured by the Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr to be his mistress. She decides a better future is available in that way, hoping for sponsorship at a theatre in Paris. To her detriment she gives her innocence to the Marquis, who then drops her without a word when Aline objects to his debauching women when she is considering him for marriage. This is a last straw for Andre-Louis, who berates the Marquis and whips up anger at him by the town, speaking from the stage in his role as the commentator on society. A riot ensues, the acting company is destroyed, and both the Marquis and Andre-Louis seek hiding.

Andre-Louis needs a job out of the limelight. In Paris he stumbles on a fencing studio looking for an assistant to drill beginners while he fences with more advanced students. He proves to show promise as a fencer, and Bertrand des Amis, the Maître en fait des Armes takes him as an assistant and gives him private lessons: he becomes an apprentice Maître. In six months Bertrand has no more to teach him, and takes him as a partner.

In Paris the Revolution is heating up. The Guillotine is now active. Bertrand is killed in a public riot and Andre-Louis carries on the studio. He is soon reconciled with his godfather, and promises to have nothing to do with politics.

The Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr takes up with a group of the French House of Lords, a group known as spadassinicides,"those swordsmen who kill with the sword". These are nobles who kill the most influential republican in the newly-convened Estates-General, a body like the House of Commons. As the Marquis did with Philippe de Vilmorin they provoke duels by sword with the republicans, and kill them with superior sword skills, a purely legal form of murder. It is the most skilled swordsmen who are in this group. Since by this time Andre-Louis is any swordsman's equal, he is recruited to turn the tables. In this way he succeeds in killing the main spadassinicides, and works his way up to the Marquis, whom he wounds, but does not kill.
In the following encounters he learns the identity of his mother. While he takes steps to ensure the safety of Aline and his mother from the revolutionaries and get them out of Paris, he comes across the Marquis, who is fleeing the mob. When he and the Marquis draw pistols on each other he learns from Mme his mother that the Marquis is his father! He gives him a safe conduct out of Paris and spares him, but he cannot go further. He finds himself unable to forgive him utterly and help to save him.

Moreau and the women escape Paris safely and Andre-Louis decides that he cannot stay in France. He assists his godfather, mother, and Aline out of France, and they all decide to emigrate. He is able to clarify his position with Aline and he learns that she loves him. They intend to all travel to America, where he later learns that the Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr made it safely to Austria, where he took service with the King.

I had the prejudice that Sabatini wrote an early form of pulp fiction, and wasn't to be taken seriously. I know I have read this before, but this time I put it together and I was enlightened. This was a really good book, and just what I needed at the time. So enjoyable! Highly recommended.

While reading this book I could not help wonder if this was the original of the trope of falling in with the circus or a theatre when on the run and joining in. Do any of you know of an earlier instance? I know I have seen it many times since this novel was written, and I have always known that it is a standard of the near-picaresque novel. I can't figure out how to look this up. I tried the Google route, but the search string defeated me.

I admit to a distinct affection for the swashbuckler, with Westley, of Princess Bride fame as a prime example. I can see that I need to study some of the Wikipedia pages on Adventure fiction. I don't know nearly enough, especially about the earliest examples. I never saw Vanity Fair as a picaresque novel, but now I can see that it is, for instance.

84. Water to Burn by Katherine Kerr

This is the second book of this series, the Nola O'Grady series, and I liked the first book very much. The heroine is an agent in a very, very secret organization, so secret that the CIA does not know about it. In the first book we were introduced to her unusual family, a family of Irish Catholics who live in San Francisco, California in the modern day, or the near future. Her family members have "gifts" of paranormal abilities. Nola's agency keeps track of paranormal crimes and people. She herself has a wide variety of abilities, all of which can be boiled down to some kind of remote sensing and psychometry. We also met an Israeli agent of Interpol who has been assigned to be a bodyguard to her and does something else we are not really told of. He begins by not believing in the paranormal, but it isn't long until he is a believer. It also isn't long until they are lovers.

In this book Nola and her lover, Ari Nathan are having a hard time with a complicated case involving murderous, fatal, "rogue waves" coming up from the bay, and taking out some particular people who didn't at first seem to be connected, as well as some innocents, including children. Nola sees some preternatural beings showing her things that she is trying to put together to explain the how and who of the phenomenon.
There is also a sub-plot involving the rescue of a prostitute from an alternate dimension, a young woman who has information of value to Nola's agency, which gives her an excuse for the rescue.

I have to say that I didn't enjoy this as much as the first one. It seemed a little more diffuse and less enjoyable. There is a funny scene wherein Nola meets a possible bad guy in a restaurant, and an invisible water spirit makes the scene. It's hard to explain what was funny about it, though. Funny is so often hard to explain.

I am looking forward to a third entry in the series, hoping it will return to the charm of the first one. It may be that my mental condition made the difference in my enjoyment, so best to give it another chance.

85. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Hi Sally

We had something of a family emergency, so I have been gone just about two weeks. If you remember my honorary grandson born three months ago--Andrew--you will know who I mean when I mention his mother, my honorary daughter, Erica. Erica went to the hospital with severe lower abdominal pain on Monday , June 21. As it happened, scar tissue from her recent C/section had twisted and strangulated part of her intestines, this causing some portion of her intestine to be deprived of blood supply, and to die. She had emergency surgery that night, and they removed 15 cm. of her intestine, but afterwards she continued internal GI bleeding. Her blood pressure went down, and she was taken to ICU, where she was transfused 6 units that I know of. They could not stabilize her blood pressure, and her blood counts continued to fall. At last, Wednesday night the 23rd, she was taken back to surgery and 130 cm. of intestine, including her descending colon, were removed. After that she no longer had any untoward bleeding, and began to recover. She was hospitalized for over a week, and came home June 30.

My part of the story was this: she called her father-in-law for emergency child-care. He lives five minutes away from them. He is my brother Michael, the oldest of the eight of us. Mike called me because they couldn't get the baby to stop crying, and the daughter of the family kept saying "We need Grandma Sally." I went there immediately, and calmed the baby, doing the baby shuffle and patting him on the bottom. Then I fed him formula in a bottle, but he wanted more than he was used to getting. He is generally breast-fed with a little formula supplementation. They had given him four ounces, and he wanted five. He was happy then, and Mike said that they had been starving him; no wonder that he was so unhappy and wouldn't stop crying. I ended up staying the whole of the time from June 21st to July 2nd, caring for three children, three cats and a dog. On July 2nd l I felt Erica could manage. (I wanted to be home to bake a birthday cake for my son, who was born July 3.)

Two of the cats were kittens, and I also had to train the dog not to go after the youngest kitten, biting him and harassing him. The kittens were pretty new, and were three months old. Then the youngest kitten got an upper respiratory infection, and bilateral eye infections, and we had to give him eye drops every 8 hours and drops by mouth every 12 hours. That was a lot for me to manage, just after a flare. I have lots of claw marks on my legs and hands from the kitten, who didn't like eye drops, of course, and from the kittens running away from the dog up my legs. By the time I left the dog was quite good with the kittens. (I have a sister who trains dogs and I called her for advice the first day.) A sister-in-law of mine came one day so I could take a shower. Erica was very touched that my birth family came to her rescue, and she said she was confident with the kids, including the baby, in my care. She said she could concentrate on getting well, knowing that I was taking care of her kids. All in all, it was a satisfactory outcome, and I enjoyed the baby and the other two kids. I could have lived without the animals' crises.

Today is the holiday, and I hope to come read messages and post some reviews tomorrow.

>77 sallypursell: My goodness! What a family saga you have had. And I thought packing the house and moving was difficult! Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

My word - who would have imagined that scar tissue could do all that. Sounds like they were very lucky to have you around, Sally (including the kittens!).

>77 sallypursell: Wow, what a confluence of needs! I'm glad you could be there for them, and hope you have some downtime to rest up now.

Wow! That's quite the string of crises. I'm happy that everyone had you, and it all seems to be looking up.

>78 LadyoftheLodge: >79 AlisonY: >80 lisapeet: >81 Nickelini: Thanks for your messages. Little Andrew's family was very grateful, the Dad could go back to work after two days off to manage the crisis, and Mom could recover and come home. This is what I retired for, among other things, and I am so grateful that I could go when and where the family needed me. I really did enjoy the kids. The baby has a very sweet temperament and his mom says he misses me. I miss him, too.

>77 sallypursell: Holy smokes, that's some tale. So happy everything worked out for the family (and animals). It's, as you said, gratifying and fulfilling to be able to come through in a crisis for loved ones.

I enjoyed your review of Scaramouche, by the way. I read and enjoyed that book a year ago April, in fact. My review ended . . . "Romance, adventure, narrow scrapes, dastardly noblemen, friendship and treachery ensue, at a fast pace and with a genial tone. The writing is fine and the book is fun. Long live Scaramouche!"

All the best.

>77 sallypursell: I’m glad all turned out well, Sally. It can all be very scary.

>84 NanaCC: It was scary for all concerned when it looked like she was trying to bleed to death and they couldn't stop it! I had faith in that hospital (it was where I worked most of my career) but--stuff happens!

>83 rocketjk: Jerry, do you like any other books of Sabatini's? I need to read more, now that I know they are so enjoyable.

86. When Maidens Mourn by C. S. Harris

87. Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield

>86 sallypursell: Well, as a kid I loved Captain Blood, a real swashbuckler, but that was a very long time ago. It would probably be fun to read it again, though!

88. Mister Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester

89. What Darkness Brings by C. S. Harris

I love this series, and this one was no exception. The cover calls it a thriller, but I like the mystery and romance aspects more. This novel is full of all of it. There is murder, of course, but also tracing one of the French Crown Jewels, an encounter with his former lover, preventing a miscarriage of justice, and most interesting to me, development in the protagonists relationship with his fascinating wife. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing more romantic than a man who is in love with his wife. The Viscount is falling more in love with Hero, his wife, all the time, even if her father is his greatest and most potent enemy. I am a fan of this series, and I will rejoice in as many as there are.

90. The Alabaster Hip by Maggie Fenton

This was a more humorous historical romance, I think Georgian. A man who writes poetry under a pseudonym lives near London, and falls heavily for his daughters' governess. They both try to keep the proprieties, not acknowledging their mutual affection. Then he accidentally catches sight of her upper leg when she takes a fall, and vaults his recent writer's block, publishing a sensuous poem about her in a periodical. It is called The Alabaster Hip. The poem takes England by storm, but when she considers being the protagonist of it, the lady is thoroughly ashamed and embarrassed. When he tries a Grand Gesture to attract her, at the suggestion of his friends, she leaves his emply. Needless to say there is a Happily Ever After. The book was slightly amusing, and not too badly written. It was a little better than average.

91. Saving Sophia: A Modern Faerie Tale by Brian Norvaisis

92. Always a Bluestocking, Never the Bride by Emily E. K. Murdoch

Just as you might expect, a regency romance, no better or worse than most others.

93. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

94. The Perfect Mistress by Victoria Alexander

95. Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire

96. Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire

97. Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson

98. The Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson

2021 Third Quarter Books

Second Quarter Totals=

SF&F -
Children’s -
YA -0
Non-fiction -
General Fiction -
Classics -
Paranormal -
Romances -
Mysteries -
Horror -
Historical Fiction -
Sports -

July

96. Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire
97. Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
98. The Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson
99. Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
100. The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg
101. On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
102. Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
103. Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews
104. Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews
105. Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna by Edith Sheffer
106. Mortal Danger by Eileen Wilks
107. The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren
108. Jane Bond by V. R. Tapscott
109. License to Ensorcell by Katherine Kerr
110. Next of Kin by Eric Frank Russell
111. Vasilissa the Beautiful by Elizabeth Winthrop
112. Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
113. The Ballad of Tam Lin by Patricia A. Leslie
114. The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu
115. Apocalypse to Go by Katherine Kerr
116. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

August

117. How to Buy a Planet by D. A. Holdsworth
118. Blood Cross by Faith Hunter
119. The Match by Winter Renshaw
120. Lady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder
121. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
122. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
123. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
124. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
125. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
126. A Brazen Curiousity by Lynn Messina
127. Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier
128. Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café by Richard Dee
129. Grave Witch by Kalayna Price
130. Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn
131. The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop
132. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley
133. How to Read a Poem by Edward Hirsch
134. Sebastian by Anne Bishop
135. Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter

September

136. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
137. Grave Witch by Kalayna Price
138. Grave Dance by Kalayna Price
139. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
140. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
141. A House of Mirrors by Liz Hedgecock
142. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
143. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
144. Carterhaugh by Signe Anita Fuchs
145. Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
146. Hexed by Kevin Hearne
147. Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
148. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
149. Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
150. O, Jerusalem by Laurie R. King
151. Urban Legends of the U.S.A.; Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana by Susan Hill
152. One Wicked Wish by Anna Campbell
153. Wild Robin by Susan Jeffers
154. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharyn McCrumb
155. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
156. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn
157. Thursday by Catherine Storr
158. A Scandalous Deception by Lynn Messina

>77 sallypursell: Wow, Sally! I can't believe that after all your family stuff, you still had time to read.

Captain Blood for sure.

>103 BLBera: During those two weeks I didn't finish a single book. That was all before and after. In fact, I tried several times, but it was hard to compete with the baby, the meals, and the pets. I didn't have hardly any time to myself, which might not have been true if I had routines shared by the rest of the family. We were developing those as we went, and to start with the two routines didn't share much.

>104 dianeham: I think I may have that one, Diane. If not, I'll procure it. Thanks.

99. Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

I hope these just go on and on. The first of this sequence was surely the best book I had read on paranormal/human interaction. This one continues to be superior.

Meg Corbyn, running away from a sort of slavery as a blood prophet, has found herself in a community of Others. These are the paranormally gifted (or cursed) who hold the societies in North America, and own all the land. A small amount of land is ceded to humans for their use, but it is obvious that humans live only on sufferance, and that any action the Others dislike may result in a bloodbath. Everyone knows of towns that are no longer there, where the Others have rampaged and slaughtered the inhabitants. Needless to say, Other/human interaction is touchy.

The Others--werewolves, vampires, avatars of seasons and weather, demi-gods and goddesses--generally ignore humans unless humans do something to provoke them. The community into which Meg stumbles is different: they have some businesses which are patronized by both Others and humans who live nearby. They even employ some humans in these businesses, which are all gathered around a courtyard. Meg makes a place for herself there, thinking she is human. But as a blood prophetess, she is not, and somehow she manages to get along with the various kinds of Others rather better than they are used to experiencing. She treats them like People, not threats on feet. In fact, it turns out that the Others adopt her into their lives in a way they don't usually allow for humans. Soon, they find, they are protecting her and watching out for her. One of the werewolves gets quite close to her.

This volume tells the story of a plot by some humans to kill some of the Others, probably as a distraction, so that those who had formerly used Meg for their own profit, in her capacity of a Blood Prophetess, can kidnap her and use her again. They would cut her to provoke a prophecy, and then sell the prophecy for large sums to anyone who was involved in it. Obviously, as this provided for them a rich lifestyle, they would like to have Meg back, and do not scruple to do cruel things to make this possible.

The story includes the way the Others, working as a group, foil this attempt to kidnap Meg, and in addition, manage to uncover a group of mercenary men and women who are willing to kill Others and humans alike to provide the distraction that is part of the kidnap plan. The bad guys also put the Others' society at risk by releasing drugs into the community, drugs made from the blood of the blood prophets, which provoke rage in some, and dangerous dissociation in others.

This series continues to be far above most paranormal fiction in quality. It makes my enjoyment that much more satisfying. I love these!

100. The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg

A woman shows the same ability to deduce, and the same bluntness in personal deportment. She also likes to use some sarcasm to cut down functionaries of lesser intelligence. One would think that this would be a recipe for success, but this protagonist fails to be as loyal and charming as Sherlock Holmes could be. I will certainly never read this again, so I won't keep this. I don't discard that many books, but this one barely kept me interested. It wouldn't be too much to say that this just escapes being boring. Not recommended.

101. On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
102. Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
103. Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews
104. Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Across the Barrier from the State of Louisiana lies the Duchy of Louisiana, and a person must possess some magical capability even to perceive it. Conversely, a person who has sufficient magic is incapable of seeing the State of Louisiana, or, if it is seen, he or she may be incapable of crossing the border, at risk of death. Between the Broken, where there is no magic, and the Weird, where magic is abundant, lies the Edge, an area of both magic and technology. The Edge varies in thickness from some feet to many miles, and within it live people who know neither the Constitutional Monarchy of the Weird or the representative republic of the United States of America, and the World like ours, the Broken.

Most areas of the Edge have no government, no police force, and few constraints on behavior. In addition, the fact that many people have some magic capability means that it is hard to know what to expect from a person one has just met. He or she may not even be human; hybrids, wild animals, and sheer monsters also live there.

Large extended families tend to be the organizational unit in the Edge, and loyalty to the Family is an essential virtue. With all this said, life in the Edge is adventuresome and often frightening. Feuds are common and smuggling, spying, grift, graft, and fights to the death are all common. It is a great place for adventures to occur, and each book in this series shows both the glory of adventures going well, and the grinding anxiety and brutality of adventures going poorly.

The Drayton family is a typical large and variously talented one. Dad and Mom have each disappeared, and young Rose Drayton is struggling to raise her two younger brothers by cleaning offices in the Broken. It isn't a good job, and when she loses even that, everything looks bleak.

Then along happens an arrogant man, clearly from the Weird. who tries to protect her from the plots of those who want to use her for their own purposes. She is not open to romance, since the last time she was involved in one it turned out her "fiance" tried to sell her into slavery due to her gift of strong magic.

Each one of these novels paints the story of a large family, struggling to get by, abused by others for their desirable genes, and the troubles they encounter. In addition, each is different, but all tell stories of the romantic entanglements that pan out--the ones that last.

There are a great many fine swordsmen and -women, and some swashbuckle takes place. Huge fights, almost battles, occur between groups of humans, and the outcome is often grim. These books are especially good because not everything goes well. Some of our most-liked characters are lost to death or tragedy. When the dust settles, most of the couples end up in the Weird, where there is a law and aristocrats who care to uphold it. They manage to become more affluent in the main, too.

The swashbuckle and battles were captivating enough; the stakes being higher than in many similar stories raised the tone; the writing was able, and very few errors of grammar or spelling were to be found. Altogether, there is not much more gripping for an afternoon's read, and I am sure I will read these again. This is already the second reading for me. I recommend this author for better than average escape fare, with the spice of romance as well.

105. Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna by Edith Sheffer

Someone else read this, and I thought it sounded important. It reads like a book for the popular press that was reworked from some academic thesis. It could be a Ph. D. dissertation rewritten, because there is deep research alluded to often.

I have no reason to doubt this author, but her theme that Asperger was heavily involved in the routine murder of children according to the Nazi ideal, is a serious charge. I am not interested enough to do any of this research for myself, but I just want to keep a grain of salt about me. This is the kind of data that can be interpreted more than one way.

I suppose it is true that Asperger developed his famous diagnosis while working for the Nazi medical establishment; it is also probably true that he did this to become part of the medical establishment in Nazi Austria. Undoubtedly, with the best will in the world, in his positions he could not have escaped some ill-done behavior. The only way to escape collaboration with the Nazi agenda to kill the disabled and those of small intelligence would be to stay out of the positions he wanted to hold. No one knows how many he saved, but we know there were many he identified for death by maltreatment or by gassing. He maintained that he saved more than he condemned. He escaped heavy penalty when he came up for judicial sanctions after World War II; no one else in a similar position came off so lightly. Apparently his story of reluctant and resistant involvement in the killing of children was believed.

I'd like to read something maintaining his better behavior than his colleagues, but not enough to work at it. Mea culpa.

106. Mortal Danger by Eileen Wilks

This is the sequel to a book I read some time ago. It was okay, but in the group of books I have been reading with themes regarding the relationship between the paranormal and the human, this was of lesser quality and lesser interest.

It involves a police detective who discovers she is the Mate of a werewolf "prince". They work some cases together, because he can cut through some of the doubts she has with his improved senses.

I should say that I had no trouble reading this, and charged right through. For me it involved too much stereotypy in the roles, but the plot was interesting enough.

I expect I will read more of this series, but I won't buy any more of them, not even in paperback.

107. The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren

A little silly, but sometimes fun. I can't say these creatures seemed much like vampires: they were well-meaning, knitted very rapidly, and wanted to preserve the knitting shop because they truly liked the proprietor and because they lived in a type of catacomb below it.
My thoughts boiled down to, "Why not?"

108. Jane Bond by V. R. Tapscott

This is a science fiction comedy, featuring a woman who finds an intelligent bit of an alien spacecraft, and makes a kind of friend of it. Their adventures together while trying to find the other parts of his spaceship are amusing, and Jane is a likable character. Altogether, a pleasant work, it to while away an hour or two.

109. License to Ensorcell by Katherine Kerr

I wanted to finally write a review of this--it's been waiting a while--but I found I didn't remember it all well enough to do so. I was dipping into it to remind myself, and ended up reading pretty much the whole thing again. I'll go back to the other one now to finish a more complete review.

110. Next of Kin by Eric Frank Russell

In the late 60's there was a publishing phenomenon known as the "Ace Double". This was usually two long stories or novellas which were assembled back to back, meaning that which story you read depended on which face of the book was up. When my husband and I added our libraries together, naturally we read each other's work that was unknown to us.

The one I most remember reading then--in 1972-- was a story by Eric Frank Russell. It was called Plus X, not to be confused with Venus Plus X, by Theodore Sturgeon. I didn't like everything about the main character, John Leeming, but the way he got out of the dilemma in which he found himself as a prisoner of war in the custody of aliens was worth the time.

Later on I read this story to each one of our kids as they got to about 10 years old. Each one loved it.

This is a novelization of that story. In it, John Leeming, using only his wits, brings the human/alien war to a close, and gets himself home. He uses funny word-play, and it was really funny, although somewhat juvenile.

I'm sure you had to be there, but to anyone who was, mentioning his "Eustace" should get a laugh. John Leeming's Eustace was called Eustace Phenakertiban, and that means nothing unless you have read this story.

In the novelization the story is last, after a long frame in which Leeming crash-lands on an alien-held planet. It isn't very changed from my recollection. The first part isn't tedious, although it doesn't add much to the story. This is worth a reading, if you can reconnect to your inner child or pre-teen.

111. Vasilissa the Beautiful by Elizabeth Winthrop

This is a thin paperback, almost a picture book. It tells a popular story from Russian folk and fairy tales, the story of Vasilissa the Beautiful, who visited the witch Baba Yaga in her chicken-legged hut,and escaped uninjured. Since she is both beautiful and good the Tzar takes her for his Tzarina, and all blessings are hers.

The illustrations in this book are so beautiful that I had to buy it. I wish we could have seen more of Baba Yaga and the inside of her hut.

Still, five stars for the mysterious story and the staggeringly beautiful illustrations. Marvelous!

112. Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire

This is part of an earlier series in Seanan McGuire's work, and her improvement during this series is clear. I think each one better than the previous ones. The protagonist, October Daye, is a half-human/half-fae, and a knight errant, a subject of Sylvester, a Duke of Faery. As is typical, she takes both missions to which he assigns her as well as those which seem to her to maintain the Kingdom of Faery or her own views of what is right and expedient. She is the daughter of one of Oberon's daughters, and therefore has aunts and uncles of high rank in Faery. She also has made friends there, some of considerable rank, and some who are servants in the Courts of the Fae. Some she knows there are likely to protect her and some cannot be trusted, but all must be dealt with.

In this novel Toby is asked by another knight from Sylvester's Court to find his half-human teenage daughter, who has been a secret up until now, and is missing. He himself only learned of her existence this week, and only because her human mother asked his help to find her. Toby does not really like missing children cases, but she has had two others lately and feels this deserves her help.

There is a particularly important, urgent character to this search. The child has begun to flex her magic muscles, and seems to be more powerful than the typical. She is teleporting in and out of faery, causing damage, and there is a potential for her to cause irreparable damage. Some of the realms were sealed off by Oberon before he left some long time ago. No one knows where he is, or when he will return, but it is clear that there are some dangerous creatures and places among those he sequestered. If this teen goes through one of those, leaving open a corridor to it, all that was hidden or imprisoned may escape. Even the seemingly stable parts of Faery could succumb to her unintentional damage.

In this adventure Tybalt, the King of Cats, volunteers to help Toby. She needs his help for a type of travel he can perform, taking her with him. With this method he is able to follow the girl if they find her, or he can help Toby with rapid transits of faery which could make all the difference in the search. Tybalt takes advantage of a fraught episode to admit to Toby that he has come to love her, but the subject is tabled until the crisis is over.

A great deal of magic is shown, many interesting people and places are encountered, and the elements of the search are varied and colorful. I enjoyed this book as much as the others of this series, and I can't wait to see what happens next in her adventurous life.

113. The Ballad of Tam Lin by Patricia A. Leslie

I've always had a special liking for this tale and ballad. I am trying to collect or at least read everything I can find that represents it. Basically, it goes this way. Janet goes to Carterhaugh Woods and there picks two roses on one stem. A man appears and tells her that this is not allowed. She explains haughtily that her father owns the land, so she is entitled. The man says he is Tam Lin, a knight who fell from his horse into the arms of the Queen of the Fae, who kept him in the Summerland for her amusement and for sex. He has been there seven years and has learned that a "tithe" is paid to Hell every seven years. He believes he will be that tribute. As a forfeit Tam Lin tells Janet she must pay he accepts either a mantle of her own or her maidenhead. Janet finds it no trial to give up her virginity to this handsome and cultured knight. For a time she visits Tam Lin in the wood, and eventually she finds herself pregnant. It is her father who notices and asks about it. She tells him that it is no one he knows, and no knight from the demesne he oversees. She will tell him no more than this. The next time she visits Tam Lin has realized that the tribute to Hell will be paid at Halloween midnight and he tells her of this fear. She wants to save her baby's father, and agrees to the work she must undergo to free him from the ensorcellment of the Queen. It is a formidable task, but she pledges to the work.

Late Halloween night Janet follows directions. She watches the Faery procession from concealment until she identifies Tam Lin on his white horse. Janet runs to his horse, grabs the bridle, and pulls Tam Lin down into her arms. Seeing this the Queen turns Tam Lin into a large constrictor-type snake. Janet is just able to avoid death although the snake has bites her and breaks some of her ribs. Two more animal forms come to hurt her, scoring her flesh with teeth or claws, hurting her terribly. Lastly, Janet finds a blazing log in her arms. Burning the while, she manages to hold on. At last Tam Lin appears in her arms, as naked as a newborn babe. She covers him with her own mantle for his comfort, avoiding the chill air and the humiliation of his nakedness. The Queen acknowledges that Tam Lin is now Janet's, but says that she would have turned him to a tree if she had known his plot to gain freedom. She might have removed his eyes if she cared to.

This work was a work-a-day example, telling the Tam Lin story in novel form. The details and descriptions are generally consonant with the legendary story with a significant difference; in this work the fae and the Queen of the Fae are not ill-meaning nor particularly self-absorbed. The Queen, for example, is the one who tells Janet what to do to save Tam Lin. In the song Tam Lin tells Janet what to do. Nor is it like the usual story for the Queen to be sympathetic to the young lovers; she must rather show great jealousy and anger over being bested, and over Tam Lin's leaving her. The Fae are meant to think greatly of their consequence, and this happenstance will cause the Queen to lose face.

One thing I particularly liked in the book was the description of what it was like for Janet to maintain her hold on the other forms of Tam Lin. I had never considered how much a stag could injure one, or what it would be like to hold a burning branch. It took great resolve for Janet to win Tam Lin's freedom.

There are many sung versions of this ballad. One good one is on Liege and Leaf, an album by Fairport Convention. It is a fine album, if a bit old, seminal in the development of folk-rock. All the songs are worth a listen.

114. The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu

This was really good. It is among the best books I have read this year.
In a post-apocalyptic world three live in a small trailer in the outskirts of a slum. They are a grandmother and two grandchildren, a girl-child, and a 14 year-old girl who supports the family. The grandmother's sight is failing, and she no longer gets along well.

Our protagonist, the teen, has a difficult job, speaking to the dead of Edinburgh. She takes messages for them or to them from the living families and friends who still care. Sometimes she is able to help them achieve a goal and move to an afterlife she knows nothing about. Other times it is merely the income she gets from taking each message, which the families pay, sometimes unwillingly. It is the law that she is able to collect. This life of hers demands effort, soliciting messages from the dead where they hang out, and riding a bicycle around Edinburgh to make her deliveries. Ropa is a ghostalker. She learned her skill from her grandmother, who formerly lived in Zimbabwe. Ropa was born in Zimbabwe, but has grown up in Edinburgh. Her descriptions and the dialogue, given in Zimbabwean-Scottish slang, are one of the highlights of the book.

Ropa has skills, and she supplements her income laying the occasional ghost with the Authority she has learned from her grandmother. It is against the law for her to do this, since only licensed Mediums are able to do it, but she gets away with it, and the income is much better than the message work.

Now a young woman, not long dead, has come asking her help to find out about the disappearance of her son. In addition, she learns that children in her neighborhood are going missing and then turning up altered--with a loss of intelligence and competence, and physical changes including extreme aging, especially in the head. At first she thinks she cannot afford to help without a fee, but the loss of a schoolmate of her little sister makes her decide to look into the problem. She wants her sister to have the education and future that she herself cannot have.

How Ropa gains ingress into the Library of the Dead, what she learns there, and how she goes about handling the evil that she encounters are the burden of this book. It was gratifying to see her successes and suffer with her through her troubles and the dangers she encounters. I will read this again, there is no doubt. Highly recommended to those who like reading dark fantasy. I know that some others would enjoy it, but I don't know who it would be.

115. Apocalypse to Go by Katherine Kerr

I really don't know what to do with this series. The set-up is intriguing, and the characters are, too. The protagonist's family provides plot-lines, relationships, various psychic talents of interest, and the psychic environment shows constant refinements.

The trouble is that the characters are so straightforward and generally law-abiding, that I just can't seem to care all that much how things work out. I'd be fine with some important characters coming to grief--but they don't. The good guys seem to win with little danger or trouble, and the magic seems to work mostly when people are alone. No pain, no fascination, I guess. I'm still reading these, but I don't think I will buy any more.

116. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

This was surprisingly good. Kitty is a werewolf, who happens to work at a night job as a DJ in a radio station. Early in the novel she starts one show talking about paranormal beings rather then playing music. She gets a caller. Soon her show has become The Midnight Hour, a talk radio show in which callers give their thoughts about the existence of werewolves, vampires, and other life that is legendary. At first she just curates the talk, but one night someone calls in who claims to be one of the beasts himself. In time, Kitty gives suggestions to people who want to become other themselves, and callers who believe they are themselves vampires or werewolves. Kitty knows the truth of both, but for a long time she claims only humanity.

One night a vampire-hunter, self-proclaimed, tells Kitty that he is on his way to the station to kill her, knowing her to be a werewolf. She outs herself on the air, and stays on the air as he calls in to report how much closer he is getting. An alert listener calls the police, but the killer arrives before they do. Kitty is waiting in the booth. She simply stays human and talks to him, and it works. The hunter identifies himself as Cormac, and he leaves as the police arrive. Kitty refuses to press charges, which is what she had promised she would do if Cormac left her and her engineer, Matt, in peace.

Ratings go through the roof after this show, and she is offered syndication. With every new market she gets a raise, a benefit to her, and the Alpha of her pack, who gets 50% of her pay.

Various beings have different feelings about the show and the revelation to the public and the Police that paranormal creatures exist. Official recognition means that they may be sent to reservations, killed on sight, jailed, or who knows what. The police use Kitty as a consultant, getting her picture out. Her pack Alpha wants her to quit the show. The Vampires want her stopped any way at all. Cormac and her first paranormal caller become repeat callers. Others do, too. Kitty's show gets more and more popular. Religious groups get involved, some wanting to "save" the paranormal creatures. One cult offers "cures".

Kitty is a conflicted but sympathetic creature. How she works this all out, and how she keeps herself save are the rest of the plot. As dark fantasy goes, this is great!

117. How to Buy a Planet by D. A. Holdsworth

This was something I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited, hoping for something to distract myself from both my pain and my bout of depression. I believe the depression to be due to the long period of this flare, with its pain, fatigue, brain fog, and lack of motivation.

I little hoped for such a good choice. This was slight, and although I don't think I often laughed out loud, I chuckled very often. It was funny, and the plot was quite clever. The G7 have drafted the British Prime Minister to make a public announcement of the utmost importance. The whole world has tuned in, only to hear that the serious debt crisis following the financial crisis of 2008 and then Corona Virus in a Pandemic form have caused overwhelming debt. The loss of productivity involved in the year 2020 has caused a debt crisis from which the Earth's people will never emerge. Every country, almost every corporation, and almost all ordinary citizens are sunk in debt. The G7 wish to announce that they have cleverly solved this problem and the people of Earth are freed from their obligations--they have sold the planet! Not too many details are worth explaining, but the import is clear. The world celebrates wildly.

Unfortunately there is a problem: those who bought the Earth have bundled it to be sold again on the derivatives market, and the bankers who brokered the original sale are selling short! The Earth is destined to be turned into a resort in the middle latitudes, with the Equator and the Poles meant to be severe storm tracks resulting from the weather manipulation that will allow the resort belts to be warm, ocean-front properties, and the ocean rise following the melting of the Poles will turn many temperate zones into archipelagos like the Maldives. It is all temporary, because runaway climate-heating will be irreversible. That doesn't matter to the investors because the 40 years during which they expect to profit will bring such wealth that the loss of the planet will not be significant; they will have hundreds of others under construction in the meantime.

Some scruffy Londoners trying to work out a flat-share are coincidentally the only ones of Earth's natives who are in a position to do something about it. With some others they manage a plot of amazing sophistication and of course, they bring it off in fine style. They devalue the IPO on the trading floor of the Universe, in hopes of buying it back with all they have with them, to wit, a packet of crisps, a half bag of toffees, and one Pound British in coins.

For the lightest fare, highly recommended. I wonder what else this author has written?

>118 sallypursell:... ah, checked, you do know of Pamela Dean's Tam Lin. It's a weird angle - contemporary fantasy rather than a straight retelling of the story - but a great book.

Good to see you back, Sally, and enjoying your reviews. I hope things are moving in a better direction for you now.

118. Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

This is fine urban fantasy, involving a Cherokee girl who grew up in a foundlings' home after emerging from the forest with no memory. A feral child? No one knows, least of all Jane Yellowrock, but she does have some recently regained memories of time spent with a Native American family in a setting which seems unlikely--it appears to be the past.

Just now Jane is living in New Orleans, to fulfill a contract she has with the Blood Master of the City. He is a powerful vampire, of course, and he wishes her to find and stop a mysterious vampire unknown to him, who is raising rogue vampires and setting them loose. Jane is licensed to kill rogue vampires, which is the reason why she has been retained.

Jane is visited by her best friend Molly, and Molly's two children. All of the three, Molly and her children, are witches, although the children are too young to be trained and are growing and learning like other children. Molly's husband, Evan, is temporarily out of the country for his work. He also is a witch, or a sorcerer, as some would call him.

Jane is a shifter. She can change to a mountain lion, a lynx, or a raptor. Molly knows this, but it is otherwise little known. Jane is also coming to know George,a blood servant of Leo, the Blood Master, and a formerly undercover cop named Rick LaFleur. Jane's Beast is pragmatic about sex, and wants Jane to engage in sex with someone, so Jane is trying to choose a partner who will fit into her life style, and both these men are strong enough to keep up with her activities. Neither knows about her animal life.

How Jane juggles all of her responsibilities, fulfills her contract, chooses a lover, rescues the witch-children from vampires who kidnap them for ritual use, and keeps her sanity throughout is complicated, but fits nicely into 325 pages. It is well-plotted, nicely written (I never had any poor grammar or spelling bother me), and it kept my rapt attention throughout. Once I started reading it I never contemplated interspersing it with another book. That is rare for me.

I will avidly follow this series.

>123 jjmcgaffey: I might want to re-read that one. It's been at least a couple of years since I read it.

>124 AlisonY: Gosh, I hope so too. Of course I would have another flare after that two-week jaunt to my honorary daughter's establishment. I always intend to keep up here during a flare, but I don't seem able to manage it. Also, I read a lot of escape reading during flares, and then I can barely manage to list them, much less make comments. I think if I can comment after each one I do much better, rather than reading several first.

I've been fortunate to read a string of really good books the last few days, and I'm in the middle of another. I was having such good luck with my Kindle Unlimited selections, when I really just cram it full of stuff I am curious about. Sure enough, as one might expect, the next one I tried was ... meh. Bound to happen.

119. The Match by Winter Renshaw

A tennis pro discovers he has a daughter by a woman who used a sperm bank for pregnancy. A letter identifying him was mailed to her by accident, but now that she knows, he would like to meet her and possibly the baby. After meeting her, the gentleman falls for her and the baby, and stays with her for a time to get to know them. Soon, he would like to keep them forever.

Sure, and do you have a bridge to sell me? This was quite readable, and got the job done. I enjoyed some of the scenes. Not worth ever re-reading, and I can't recommend it.

120. Lady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder

Hard science fiction is a term that refers to fiction written entirely in accord with science as we know it. In other words there is speculative thought, but only consistent with science. All of the events could actually happen in our universe.

This hard science fiction was a complete astonishment. I can't recommend it too highly to those who read science fiction. You see, the ideas in it just blew my mind on a regular basis. The characters were sympathetic, the science was mind-boggling, and the setting and plot were full of thoughts I'd never had. The "space travel" was certainly novel. I don't know how those people were ever brave enough to try it. In an atmospherically-controlled house, three people, from the top of a ring-world wall, just pushed themselves off, knowing they would eventually hit the ring-world again. No attitude jets, no motor, simply passively at the behest of physics. Considering the scale of a ring-world, and in particular this one, this meant a long journey.

I'm not sure, not being savvy enough in computers, whether some of the customs of the world would be hardware- or software-mediated. In any case, there is tremendous controversy in the book over whether the control of society that the characters generally enjoy is a beneficial or a malignant one; the protagonist, Livia, changes her own mind about this several times, and each time I though her experiences were enough to explain her change of heart. It was most interesting that we saw this very stable society in a state of breakdown several times in the book, even though it had lasted quite a while unchallenged. It all made sense, I hasten to add.

There is only scanty dry humor in this novel, but the last few pages make a nod to "when the tree falls in the forest, does it make a noise?", as well as the Schrödinger's Cat dilemma. In a completely serious way, not humorously, the book includes several allusions to songs as written and performed by the current artist Loreena McKennitt, a favorite of mine. This novel even ends with an idea from her song The Dark Night of the Soul. Her work is not top 40, and I was amazed to find her songs here.

One doesn't have to be a fan of Loreena McKennitt to appreciate this, but I enjoyed that little tit-bit.

So highly recommended, but primarily for those who enjoy science fiction.

>125 sallypursell: I'm currently reading Dirty Deeds, which is a collection of short pieces by four authors, all urban fantasy. I wanted to read it for RJ Blain's story (which I haven't gotten to yet). I've read three and a half stories - two in Ordinary (Ordinary Magic, by Devon Monk, and one and a half in Jane Yellowrock's universe. I've read shorts set there before, and been mildly interested - but I think I'm hooked now. I'll have to get the first one and see.

>126 sallypursell: Ah, you've got it in your Wishlist collection - I thought you hadn't actually read it yet. It does reward rereading.

121. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

I had trouble with my comments on Bring Up the Bodies, with even crystallizing my feelings enough to express them. Now, I find, I feel even more uncertain over this third novel in the Thomas Cromwell Trilogy.

First, let me just say this: I can't decide whether I liked it or not, and I can't decide whether I am glad that I read these or not. I aver they were beautifully done, and if that were all I cared about, I would have no trouble. Instead, as self-indulgent as I am in reading, I care much more about my enjoyment than my enrichment. When I was younger I enjoyed reading some more difficult writers, like Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and some things I wasn't equipped altogether to understand, although I cannot think of an example just at present. Maybe Thomas Pynchon's work, or Foucalt's Pendulum by Unberto Ecco. At this stage of my life, I no longer want to read tragedies, and I don't want to wallow in some particular kinds of misery. Examples might be Sophie's Choice, an inexpressibly horrendous story, hinging on a profoundly painful dilemma. Another might be The Gulag Archipelago.

Now I prefer lighter fare, in the direction of the romance fiction I never read when younger, and some sentimental stuff that I did, and which still satisfies, such as the novels of Gene Stratton-Porter. I can still read serious science fiction and fantasy that includes real tragedy.

With all that said, no doubt more than you wanted to know, there are a few things I can say about Mantel's concluding book in this trilogy. I eventually found the details regarding Cromwell's intrigues a bit tedious. I wasn't really interested in those things as much regarding the last year of his life. It was clear that eventually Henry VIII would find him to be a little too much in control of Henry's life, and that he would assume Cromwell to have been interested in self-aggrandizement. It is a little laughable that Henry could believe that Cromwell wanted to marry his daughter Mary. Cromwell, by his own account, merely wanted to keep Mary from being killed for her religion, and wanted to promote a beneficial relationship between Henry and Mary. Of course, it is possible that Cromwell may have wanted more and not realized it. I do not say that it is likely, only that it was possible. Many complex people do not understand their own desires well. Cromwell certainly did not tell anyone all his own thoughts.

I did not like all the people in this last book. That was not a surprise, since Cromwell was suffering from the results of so much sustained success. A great many people could benefit from his downfall, and even more must have resented him for his part in their own lives.

I did not get more insight into his character at this time. I thought I knew enough about him by this volume. I am a little surprised that Cromwell did not have some plot to rescue himself; I can only suppose he never thought Henry would go through with his execution. I wonder that he did not realize how much Henry must have resented the fact that Cromwell knew all the worst things about Henry and his reign.

Cromwell was also not fast enough in working to free Henry from his undesired marriage to Anne of Cleves, and Henry resented that. It seems that he dragged his heels, hoping Henry would accustom himself to the situation. In addition to Henry's doubts and resentments, that was enough to doom him.

One thing I most admire: once Mantel could bring herself to the end, the description of his walk to his death is very fine. It is crystal clear in showing a man who has dissociated, noting all his sensations and observations while feeling that they are all a little removed from his usual method of encountering the world. We know from history that he was beheaded by fiat of Henry, in response to his juggernaut of a trial, fit only to crush him and bring him to his death. We are with Thomas Cromwell all the way until the moment of his death, where the narrative simply stops. Masterful.

I believe that Mantel did not want to let go of Cromwell's viewpoint, and dragged out the last few months in an excessive way. It is still a very persuasive view of him and his life in his teens and in maturity. Her story as written is bulwarked by some of his letters and historical documentation, scantily, but enough on which to hang this chronicle. The end is genius.

122. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Although this plot is a little unbelievable, it isn't too hard to accept for purposes of telling this story. A man and woman meet in an elevator which then gets stuck. They have enough time to eat some cheese and crackers, courtesy of her purse, and discuss how to open the accompanying wine. Then the elevator moves again, but not before he coerces her into being his date for a wedding he must attend that weekend, since his girlfriend couldn't go. She does agree, and circumstances make it difficult for her to back out later. The wedding comes off, and her presence makes the experience much more palatable for him.

The rest of the story is easy to imagine. After they part, since there is no relationship to fall back on, they find that they miss each other much more than they expected. Not only was there a meet-cute the first time, but their reunion manages to be meet-cute as well. This was more ephemeral than the recent better romance fiction I have mentioned, not nearly as good as Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn. But still I enjoyed it, even though I had to set aside my inclination to notice that it was sometimes rather unbelievable. This was especially true because of course he was a doctor, and she was a lawyer, although I'm not sure why that made it less believable.

123. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini.

The introduction to this said that this was the origin of the Gentleman Pirate character, and I can well believe it. What a heart-throb this character Peter Blood is! He is all that a woman would want: loyal, romantic, strong, courageous, bold, intelligent, experienced and brilliant in strategy, gets along well with other adventuresome men, beautifully dressed and groomed, with exquisite manners, a protector of women and the downtrodden, moral within circumstance, wealthy, and, of course, handsome.

Poor Peter Blood is caught unexpectedly in a plot to overthrow the King. His role was only humanitarian, as he came to the aid of a wounded man, but this doesn't matter. The King needs the support of some wealthy landowners, and he commutes Peter's sentence of death for treason to transportation and sale as a slave in the West Indies. This is a death sentence which will still get money for the King. In the islands Peter is able to wangle a better situation for himself since he is educated and a physician. Still, he is mistreated, and forced to enrich a man who is immoral and cruel. In time he is involved in a successful escape attempt in which he is only able to become a pirate in the Caribbean, because no one else will employ him.

Naturally, he is a wonderful pirate, with brilliant sailing ability, and he is soon wealthy and a captain. On his own ship he is fearless and still loyal to his King, since he was never part of the plot before, and the awful things that happened to him were on the part of subordinates: the King certainly never knew of them.

He has fallen in love with a gently born young woman, who rejects him for the slander she has heard of his behavior. Heart-broken, he has no hope for life and loses his direction. If she knew that he loved her, and was principled even in his role as a pirate, she might confess her own love, a closely-held secret.

You can see where this is going, can't you? There is eventually a happy ending, with Peter Blood in service to the King, and forgiven for his crimes. He is reconciled with his ladylove and all that he might wish has come true for him. He is even still wealthy! I'm not sure I could resist him myself. I'm a sucker for good manners and grooming.

Just popping in to see what you are reading. I don't have a comments on any of your reads as I've not read them but I do enjoy seeing the variety of books read and some of yout comments :-)

124. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean

A fine rendering of the old ballad, set in a college town in the North of the United States, Wisconsin or Minnesota, I believe. The year is something like the 1970's but there is no political or social strike to see.

This is brilliantly written, with only one flaw, from my perspective. I am always envious of the beautifully-read and -spoken college students, who recognize so much poetry to the recitation of it. Also, I always wondered why the Queen of the Fae's paramours bothered to go to college, and actually do the work, and graduate.

Otherwise, I could not recommend this more. It is gorgeous, and though there is so much literature to delight in, it is nevertheless rich in sentiment and passion.

125. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

126. A Brazen Curiousity by Lynn Messina

127. Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier

128. Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café by Richard Dee

I don't know why this is so, but I am having an awful time getting caught up here. There are so many posts to read I feel buried, and I am having a depressive period which I often get when I am ill for a long time. I think I am having another flare, mostly because I cannot seem to get out of bed or do anything. That is highly characteristic of them. Of course, I always feel that it is my own fault, that it is weakness or laziness on my part. My husband tells me that when I feel better I inevitably get up and start doing things, and he is right. Still....

You're not the only one. I'm seeing a lot of people talking about reading slumps, saying they've skipped through threads, and similar. And while I'm reading a lot, I'm finding it difficult to track and enter my reading (fortunately most of it is digital so tracks itself - I just have to go back and find it when I start getting active again).

Hopefully the whatever-it-is (or are...different people have different problems, or at least different angles) that's eating so many people on LT will give up and go away soon.

And if staying in bed is what you need to get through your own whatever-it-is, it's not laziness it's self-care. Keep it up, until you don't need to anymore (this time).

It’s the end of summer in a second year that had turned out way different from what we all hoped for. It is a miracle that there are any people left sane and functional if you ask me.

I read and I make myself write about what I read lately because it helps me not fall into the work/read (or stop reading in a while)/sleep scenarios which never end well. I still don’t do much else but oh well. :)

So one day at a time. If you do not feel like writing about reading or following threads, don’t. When you are up to it - come back. I always like seeing what people read but I’ve been ignoring most threads - slowly working towards that lately.

When I get way behind on CR threads (and it happens a lot), I just accept that I can't catch up on all the chat and reviews and click all my starred threads so they become 'read' and start afresh again. Life is stressful and busy enough at times - I wouldn't add to your stresses by making LT one of them, and if you miss even a week on CR it's very hard to get time to catch up.

>143 AlisonY: Very well said.

129. Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

130. Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn

131. The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop

132. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley

Ah, Flavia, long may you wave! This is the next in the Flavia de Luce mysteries. In this one she suffers a grievous loss. Nevertheless, she solves a thorny mystery, leaving the police in the dust. Still, she really likes the detective in her area, and he respects her, and lets her tell him how the mystery happened. He even discovers a lot of the same facts. Unfortunately, he just doesn't have the mental and chemical resources that Flavia can bring to bear on a problem. One also assumes he has other cases to cover, and Flavia can direct her attention as she wills. To be sure, she is hampered by being a child, but she is brash and energetic, and she manages.

Flavia never ceases to amuse and engage, and I certainly can't follow her, nor do I try. This is the best of escape fiction.

133. How to Read a Poem by Edward Hirsch

I'm still reading this, on September 15. I'm not sure it is helping me, but I feel that it is. Far from a "How to" , this is both a contextual and historical look at poets. A theme or a time and place is considered, and the author then also gives the contextual and historical particulars of his encounter with this poem and the other work of its author. Some of it the poems strike me, and some explain themselves without any help from the critic. Some others are, in fact, catalyzing my understanding. I can't say that the work accomplishes something I would never do without it. And I seldom have trouble with poems when I find them isolated. However, I am not very drawnto poetry for a leisure activity. I never choose or pick up a book of poetry wherewith to enjoy some hours. And I never buy a book of poetry. I don't think this has caused me to "fall in love with poetry", as the cover has it, I I'm not sorry I'm reading this.

134. Sebastian by Anne Bishop

I like the world this is built in, but I just can't seem to like the eponymous character. I will probably not finish this.

Edited to add: I didn't.

135. Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter

I'm still new to this series about Jane Yellowrock, a Cherokee skinwalker, the only one known to her, but I love it!

These characters are fascinating, and not all alike. The protagonist has problems she deals with only with difficulty, and morals that sometimes confuse her, but her magic is wonderfully described, and consistent enough. She has friends and associates of various types, many of whom have magical troubles as well. I hope this series keeps beguiling me. I am greatly desirous of binging them, but that will use them too fast. Still, I have just finished this one, and I am staring at the next one.

Be careful! If you like urban fantasy this may grab you by the scruff of the neck.

I love Flavia. I’m done with the series, but she is a great way to make you smile through whatever is holding you back..

Take care, Sally. When I stress about getting behind, I tell myself that my reading is for pleasure, ditto LT. If it is not giving me pleasure, I need to step back. I hope you feel better soon.

Can anyone suggest any particular translation of The Epic of Gilgamesh? I don't know why I have never read it, but it is time and more so.

>154 sallypursell: I read the Stephen Mitchell translation. I think I picked that one because it was on the What is Stephen Harper Reading list - it was enjoyable and accessible. No idea how the other translations compare.

ETA - Hunh, actually I read both that and the Derek Hines translation. I rated Mitchell a star higher so I guess I preferred that one.

>154 sallypursell: I don't think we've met, have we, Yells? Thank you for taking the time to answer me. That's easier with friends.

Nope, never met. I’ve been lurking/posting around here for years and after a year of being a hermit, I’m trying to engage a little more. :)

>157 Yells: Good for you! I look forward to seeing more of you.

136. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

137. Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

138. Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

139. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

140. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire

141. A House of Mirrors by Liz Hedgecock

142. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

143. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

144. Carterhaugh by Signe Anita Fuchs

This author was billed as a writer, painter and folklorist. I hope she is best at the last of these, because this version of Tam Linn did nothing for me. The writing was lackluster, for one thing. The painting on the cover was one of the author's, and I must say that she can't paint. The painting looked like a teen had drawn it--one who had little understanding of bodily proportions--and god knows with what it was painted--the medium did nothing to redeem the terrible drawing. I did finish the book, but I put it into the recycling. I can't think of a good reason for anyone to read it or see the painting on the cover. Does she think she can paint? Who could have encouraged her?

145. Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

146. Hexed by Kevin Hearne

147. Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

This is another novel in the Bromance series. The others were more enjoyable for me, because this one just did too good a job at showing me a tragic domestic circumstance. The gentleman protagonist certainly needed the lessons his friends were trying to bring him to--what one learns about what women want by reading romance novels. It was hard to get into his remarkably resistant skull, but at least there was hope at the end.

148. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

This is the first in the series of mysteries revolving around Ian Rutledge, a Scotland Yard specialist in murder. He has always had a fine instinct for following the clues and identifying a murderer by a type of psychic scent. This though, is his return to the force after a five-year hiatus to serve in World War I: The Great War. Chief Inspector Rutledge keeps to himself that he suffers from severe shell-shock, including hosting aural hallucinations. This is what is now called PTSD, and his temporary burial alive with the corpse of a man he had to order shot for cowardice has left him so severely damaged that no one is sure that he can function as he used to. A superior of his would like to take this opportunity to slap Rutledge down, because his track record is a goad to this man for his own mediocrity.

This case is unique, because the most likely culprit is a man who has the favor and friendship of the Royal Family for his heroism and success as a fighter pilot over the skies of Europe. He was given the Victoria Cross, and is hero to the whole of England. If Rutledge arrests him, the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and the people of England will be infuriated, and Rutledge will pay a price of dismissal from the force and his only livelihood. Rutledge goes in without this knowledge, but in time he comes to see it. The case is thorny, there is no hard evidence, and circumstance gives only this heroic pilot as the likely culprit. How Rutledge is able at the very last to find the truth is really a matter of chance, but it is his patient rooting into everything that provokes a crisis which gives him the real murderer. Rutledge is grateful to solve the case, and begins to feel his old skill and feeling return. He is satisfied that he will be able to perform his old job successfully again.

This was a very fine mystery, a shockingly good first novel, and I will certainly be reading on.

149. Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

I'm reading like an addict--I finish a book, think 15 minutes, then I want another book to immerse myself again. I have always found such comfort and pleasure in the act of reading, that it is one of the very best things ever in my life. I don't really think about what I read--I absorb, rather. It may be why I can re-read so many times. It is almost as if I read the book again for the first time, although I may remember the feel of a certain section, or even a certain scene, I may as well be reading for the first time. It is one of the things that makes it hard to review; I don't want to stop that long, and I have such an appetite to read on.

This is one of the Alpha and Omega series by this author, which are intertwined with the Mercy and Adam series. They are particularly good because they call up so many kinds of paranormal and deal with them in an intelligent, focussed, way. The violence and sex are present, but are both are at a little remove, so one can experience them as much or as little as one wishes. These werewolves, vampires, witches, gods, ghosts, and various others act as one might guess they would act. That is, they act like humans with otherworldly ways of interacting with the world, and inhuman ways of being "human". Their motives vary as one might expect, and the arrays of what they consider affect their behavior in ways mere humans might not be able to foresee. These primary characters are not error-free or fault-free. They even get angry when they err as humans do, and they can't admit it at first. Relationships are fraught because so many threads intertwine in each of their make-up. Their history is full of tragedy and high comedy; humor is a frequent brief visitor, and some of them are not above some cruel humor at times. The ones we like tend to be the less cruel, but they have duties which can put them in situations where some may be forced to confront tragedy, and some may die or be irrevocably changed. Some of this change may be damage, heavy damage.

In this novel, Charles and his wife Anna, a dominant and a psychic healer, have charge over the Aspen Creek werewolf pack while Charles' father Bran is gone on some mission known only to himself. It seems prolonged, and then the first tragedy occurs, in the variously stable damaged werewolves Bran oversees, who live in isolation from the pack as a whole. This is their agreement with Bran, due to their troublesome lack of robust sanity and the physical danger they represent if they react violently when it is not warranted.

A small group of high-status members of the clan go to warn the remainder of these "wildlings" when a serious crisis happens to two of the most powerful of these. Charles is the executioner for the clan, a necessary thing with werewolves, and his wife is the balm to be applied when his action proves unnecessary or marginal. She can sometimes obviate his detested duty, and he loves her for this, and so many other things.

No one takes these dangerous wildlings for granted: few of the clan know about the wildlings, or how to find them. This is why only these clan higher-ups make warning visits. In the process of them, several further crises ensue. In the process of these, mysteries are solved, a clan traitor is found, and the reason for Bran's long absence is revealed and set aside.

I so admire this author's ability to stage action scenes which make sense, and seem necessary. Werewolves are always about to be violent, and their incipient violence means that there are stringent rules they must follow to maintain the peace. Charles is the ultimate penalty for those who cannot or will not abide by clan procedure and hierarchy. Since Bran is willing to admit difficult members to his clan to preserve their lives, he and Charles must always walk fine lines and their duties are onerous. Anna willingly serves as the buffer for them, and the healing salve for the clan. The story of how they can all work together to handle such terrifying threats as they do is exciting, sometimes beautiful, and often touching. I enjoy the work of this author for things no other author seems to give me. These are highly recommended for those who enjoy encounters with the paranormal.

150. O, Jerusalem by Laurie R. King

Oh, this is a fine, fine series. It is superior to 'most all of the genre fiction I read.

In this novel, we find that Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell have made London hot for themselves, and have gone to Israel to take care of a "small problem" for Mycroft that has cropped up there. We see that they are all but unnecessary there, but that Mary is able to learn Arabic in this short period. At the crisis Sherlock and Mary surprise their native "guides", who are spies, and the experts living in the country, by their ability to solve problems innovatively. Their brilliance, determination, and flexibility, not to mention the synergism they display as a team, take by surprise both their enemies and their people resources, and they are able to survive the fatally dangerous plot laid in wait for them and their allies. In the course of this they also make secure a meeting between the dignitaries of British Armed Forces and politics, and the policy-makers in the area (Lawrence of Arabia is there!). Britain has just begun to control Israel's government and politics, and they need to make sure that locally important people remain happy with them, and on the right path to keep the peace.

The indelible sensory portrait of Israel given as a part of the account of Sherlock's and Mary's travels--by foot and by donkey--through the country, while collecting information, made me almost to feel the dust and grime on my skin along with theirs. The way Mary educates herself in this difficult milieu is part key to why Sherlock admires her abilities and toughness; the way Sherlock trusts her when he is injured is startling, and shows why this relationship is unique in his life.

One of the best things about this series is that Sherlock's character and habits are never depicted in a way such that I am outraged on his fictional behalf. He is largely of a piece with Watson's portrayal of him, but it is clear this is the more complete picture. Mary has the mind and thoughtfulness to understand Sherlock, whereas Watson only sometimes did. Even if you don't like mysteries, this is worth a try.

151. Urban Legends of the U.S.A.; Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana by Susan Hill

This was not well-written, nor was it well copy-edited. I think it was compiled by scavenging from other books. There was nothing really good about this book, but it did creep me out from time to time. I don't really enjoy that; it smacks of the constant feel of living in a haunted house, uncertain as to what might be showing up every minute coming. I am a terrible audience for horror; it simply reminds me of a painful part of my past.

152. One Wicked Wish by Anna Campbell

This was a standard Regency romance, complete with a Rake, a companion who is aristocratic but unfortunate in her circumstances, a Beauty, and a wicked Uncle. There was the standard Happy Ever After, but nothing to make this one notable. At least it wasn't full of gaffes in representing the time period. Not recommended, but at least not painful to read.

153. Wild Robin by Susan Jeffers

This is a large children's book with lovely pictures and limited words. Part of the story is an obvious homage to The Ballad of Tam Lin, but it diverges from that story enough to make Robin, the protagonist, a brother, and Janet, the heroine, his sister. That way, at least, we don't have to try and explain why Janet's pregnancy is a problem; there isn't one. Obviously, it also gives Janet a reason to care greatly for Robin without a difficult relationship to explain. It also gives the Queen of the Fae a way to avoid a sexual relationship with the protagonist; he is still a little boy, and we all know about the children the Fae are apt to steal from the mortal world.

There are minor differences in the song as it is given, too. Robin rides a black horse, not a white one, and there are no details given as to why it is hard for Janet to hold onto him in the form of a huge snake or a large swan, and of course, she is not hurt in the bodily sense. This had something of the feel of Tam Lin, but it was more enjoyable for the pictures.

154. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharon McCrumb

This is the first of the "Ballad" series, relating mysteries to traditional folk ballads known in the Appalachian region. I have read some others of McCrumb's mysteries, and did not expect to find here a book that ended in a startling way, as this does. I had expected a series with the same person solving the mysteries each time, as most series do it, but found something confounding, in a way. Instead, the folksinger I had pegged as the most likely non-professional detective, proved to be venal and aversive.

The story itself was great, gripping and creepy. This folksinger used to be a moderate celebrity, and she settles in a small town to write some songs for future use in a come-back. She begins to receive threats, couched as the lines of folksongs. The line following the part quoted contains the threat, and the folksinger understands them. It is harder to convince the local police, in the person of the local sheriff. At first the folksinger conceals the name and story of the most likely person to be writing the threats; eventually she reveals these, but not in time to evade the arrival of the villain, who was NOT the person expected. I had picked up a glimmer of the answer, but certainly didn't identify the potential murderer. Again, I didn't expect discovering the evil in the folksinger, and that meant that the whole thing threw me for a loop. This was really good, and I am looking forward to the next Ballad mystery.

155. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

This is a Caldecott-winning children's book, written in the late 1950's. It concerns a young Tom whose brother Peter has the measles. He is sent to another family household, in quarantine, and he acutely misses his brother and parents, the more so because his uncle and aunt have no children, and live in a boring flat. There is no yard (garden for folks across the pond), and Tom can't go outside. There are no toys to play with, no books suitable for Tom, and no companions to while away the days. His aunt and uncle don't own the flat, but rent it from the old lady who owns the big house in is in. Tom can't even look inside the case that holds the grandfather's clock in the front hall, because the clock belongs to the old woman as well.

Everything is misery until one night Tom hears the clock strike thirteen! He discovers a way to get through the forbidden back door to find a wonderful yard/garden. It is full of trees to climb, nooks to find and test for good hiding, an orchard with apples, and across an expanse of field, even a river, rather small at the spot where he is. Tom is in alt, and spends more and more time there in the nights. Eventually he meets a young girl who is aware of him and becomes the best playmate he's ever had. She knows all the secrets of the garden, and they even spend one winter day skating the river to the next town and taking the train back. Glorious fun! Tom does not notice that he stays the same age, and his companion ages, until she is a young woman the day they skate. In that same episode she is speaking to another, contemporary friend, and suddenly Tom is lost to her sight. She has grown up. Tom is terrible grieved, and a little insulted, that she no longer prefers him to anyone else. Still, it is time for him to go home, because Peter's measles are better.

This was a lovingly detailed adventure, full of fantasy elements, but never really unbelievable, granted the initial premise of time travel. Tom has learned such a lot, and enjoyed this so much, that it is surely its own excuse for being. At the end Tom learns that the old lady who owns the house is his own playmate, near the end of her life. She remembers him and their adventures, and they become fast friends. I loved this, and by the way, had never heard of it as a child. It must have been published about the time I was reading things like this. I'll never forget my favorite, Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd.

156. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn

More in this series, and really good. All in the style I enjoyed in the previous two novels.

157. Thursday by Catherine Storr

This is a modern retelling of Tam Lin again. Two young adults are close, and they have a secret hideout--a spot left over from the bombing of London in the Blitz. It is overgrown and decrepit, and it is too near a factory for anyone to want to rebuild it. That makes it a perfect secret hideout. All is fine, with nothing worse than parents and high school until the boy disappears.

He is known as Thursday, because he was a foundling, found on that day. He grew up unloved and neglected by relatives who were found and took him in. He had been doing his own self-care and buying his own food lately, because his adoptive parents were both gone, leaving no explanation. He gets good grades, so no one has noticed his irregular situation.

Bee is a girl, his best friend. She doesn't have a good family life either, but it is nothing as bad as Thursday's. The novel starts when Thursday goes missing. Soon the school and the police are involved, and Bee has a hard time deciding how much of Thursday's saga and situation she should reveal.

Bee begins to look into this herself, and discovers Thursday shows up at the factory, working under an assumed name. Still, he doesn't really recognize her, and he is blunted--barely speaking, barely moving, withdrawn, almost robotic. Even his voice is different.

Eventually he is found and sent to a facility for the mentally ill. Bea visits him, and tells the psychiatrist that something is wrong; it is Thursday, but it is as if her personality has been stolen. He is different, wrong.

Bea continues to dig, finally getting some glimmers from an old woman in the neighborhood who is familiar with "changelings", and is willing to say that he may have been taken by "the fairies". Bea cannot believe this, but it is the first clue that something unusual may have happened. Bea doesn't think Thursday is mentally ill, but it is a stretch to accept that he may be a changeling. The old woman gives Bea some idea of the reason why she believes that only Bea can rescue him, and some idea as to how. It involves "holding onto him, no matter what", but what this means, she cannot really say.

Midsummer's Eve is coming, and Bea gets the idea that fairies could be real from a high school performance of The Midsummer Night's Dream. She waits at the hideout, and Thursday appears. He can't say how he got there, or how he got out of the hospital. In a trance, holding onto Thursday through a terrible storm, Bea perceives the ride of the Faery Court in a half-hallucination, and, frightened though she is, she braves the Faery Queen's wrath to hold onto Thursday throughout. He is back to himself after the storm, and Bee and Thursday admit to their love. At the end we learn that their relationship lasts, and we know that it was True Love.

"This is True Love. Do you think this happens every day?"
Westley, the Dread Pirate Roberts

158. A Scandalous Deception by Lynn Messina

I just finished this. It was a sequel to A Brazen Curiousity, which I enjoyed, but I didn't get the humor in that one so much. I noticed it, but it was so mild that it didn't hit me.

In this novel Miss Beatrice Hyde-Clare is a 26 year-old near spinster, who is plain, has no great dowry, and is very shy. It is no suprise that she does not "take" in her seasons, and no one has offered for her. Her life has been devoid of much interest, and her relatives took her in when her parents orphaned her. They treat her like the plain, useless, poor relative that she is, constantly deriding her and clothing her and feeding her only just as her consequence deserves. Last year she walked in on the aftermath of a murder at a country house party, which suddenly sparked her interest, overcame her shyness, and allowed her to solve the mystery, accompanied by the Duke of Kesgrave, who was one of the guests. She covered up for some of her activities by pretending a disappointed love affair with a law office clerk. In fact, she is an inveterate liar, although she has not acknowledged this to herself.

The Duke had promised to call on her, but naturally, did not. She realized that this had been a polite fiction, and that she is not up to his touch, so that she could not have expected it. Bea is trying to accept this with a good grace, and spend her time reading biographies and history, as she enjoys doing. All is well until a man drops dead at her feet in a newspaper office, where she had gone to insert a death notice of her imaginary lover, hoping to get her family off the search for him. The man has clearly been murdered, and Bea is off again.

Kesgrave turns up, and deftly inserts himself into her murder inquiry again. She is peeved, and twits him for his consequence and autocratic habits. He takes this with a good grace, and teases her back. In no time they fall back into the camaraderie that they enjoyed in the first book, and soon he is lured into supporting her ramshackle methods of investigation. It is clear he is fascinated with her unusual responses to him, but she explains this away by finding less flattering reasons for his accord with her efforts and the ways in which he helps her and tries to smooth her way. Both of these protagonists are amusing, and the story was sufficiently silly so as to not have to give the solemnity to the murder that might otherwise be appropriate. At the same time, none of it would be impossible--that was essential, of course. The side characters are caricatures of the ones in Regency romances, although always near enough to be acceptable. In fact, the whole thing was funny, much more so than the first one, where the humor was little and mild. I really loved it, and could happily have continued to read more about this for several hours. There is more in the series, I am happy to say.