Sakerfalcon reads more in 2024

Happy New Year everyone! I hope it brings good things for us all.

2023 was a notable year for me because I became owned by a cat again. I adopted William from the RSPCA and he is the love of my life now. It was also a good year in reading, though I'm pretty sure I bought more books than I read. This is normal.

Many thanks to everyone who commented and left recommendations on my thread last year. You are all awesome!

My main reading interests are Science fiction and Fantasy, Classic children's books (especially school and pony stories), and 20th century women's writing, particularly titles published by Virago and Persephone. But I'm a bit of a magpie and some odd things do take my fancy every now and then.

I started keeping a reading journal a few years ago when I realised that I was reading so many books so quickly that I didn't remember anything about some of them a few months later. I tend to have 3 or 4 books on the go at any time - one for commuting, one to read in bed, one that I'll dip into while checking email and an alternative if none of the others happen to suit the mood I'm in.

I live in London, UK and like to travel to new places, both in real life and in books. Welcome!

Welcome our new feline overlords!

I ended the year by finishing Fourth Wing, Chaos terminal, Gobbelino London & a contagion of zombies, and Siblings.

Fourth Wing is massively popular and I found it ridiculously addictive despite being very irritating. Violet is clearly a Chosen One with Plot Immunity - despite her extreme physical weakness she survives a very violent world with numerous threats pretty easily. She is destined for a One True Pairing with a man who should be her mortal enemy, whom she spends pages lusting after whenever he makes an appearance. The F word is sprinkled gratuitously throughout the book, not used naturally but thrown in randomly as if to say "This is not a Young Adult book". The worldbuilding is thin and doesn't stand up to prolonged thinking about. However, the dragons are very cool (and a bit underused - there is no such thing as too much dragon), there are some good portrayals of friendship, and the author knows how to get you hooked on the tale she is telling. Of course I have the sequel lined up to read soon, even though I may sprain my eye-rolling muscles.

Contagion of Zombies is the second Gobbelino London book about the titular feline PI and his human sidekick. Gobbelino's narrative is the perfect snarky cat voice. This episode sees Callum and Gobs reluctantly forced to admit that zombies do in fact exist, and are a threat to their world. It introduces some great new characters, especially Gertrude the rather dainty Reaper who bakes wonderful cakes and wields a mean scythe. This is such a fun series!

Siblings portrays the social and political tensions in a divided post WWII Germany. Elisabeth is optimistic about life in East Germany, but her brother sees through the propaganda and wishes to follow their elder brother to the West. It was a good read that seemed to capture the troubled place and time.

I'm still trying to finish The virgin in the garden, which is a reread. I'm also reading What happened in London, which is a prequel to Baking bad, telling of the events that led DI Adams to leave London. I'm enjoying this even more than BB. Adams is a great character. And I'm also reading Such sharp teeth, about a young woman who returns to her small-town home to care for her pregnant sister, but is attacked by a strange beast and finds herself changing in peculiar and frightening ways. So far it's a really good read, as much for the family and return-to-small-town aspects as for the supernatural elements.

>2 Bookmarque: Thank you so much! I have been admiring your wonderful graphics on everyone's threads this year! I hope you had as much fun creating them as we have seeing them.

>1 Sakerfalcon: Happy New Year and New Thread, Claire. May all your 2024 reads be gems.

I'm so glad you and William have found each other!

>4 Sakerfalcon: Oh I did and I'm so glad you guys like them.

Happy New Year! I hope you'll have a wonder reading year.

>1 Sakerfalcon: Happy new year and new reading thread! Look forward to reading your excitements and frustrations as you read this year. Hope there are more excitements than the other!

Good heavens, it's only the second day of the new year and you've already gotten me with Such Sharp Teeth. You're deadly. :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Thread. I am wearing a flak-jacket to minimise the possibility of injury from all the book bullets you fire. I am sure you will hit me a few times this year.

Have a great 2024. I look forward to this years photo-journals of your trips.

Happy reading in 2024! I'm glad you enjoyed the second Gobbelino. Just wait until the third haha

Happy new thread!

Happy New Year and happy new thread! I hope you have many enjoyable reads this year.

Happy New Year!!

Such Sharp Teeth sounds fun!

Happy New Year, Claire! I hope that 2024 is another great reading year for you.

I hope 2024 is a good vintage for you Claire.

Thanks for stopping by everyone! I look forward to your comments on my thread as the year goes by, and to seeing what you are up to in your own threads.

>9 Marissa_Doyle:, >14 catzteach: I'm just over halfway through Such sharp teeth and am really enjoying it. It's clever and funny but also gives you a lot to think about, exploring the impact that becoming a werewolf would have on one's work, relationships, and daily life. Parallels are drawn between Rory's situation and that of her pregnant sister, both women facing changes to their bodies that they can't control.

>10 pgmcc: You got me to read Eric Ambler and Hopeland last year, so fair's fair!

>11 Narilka: It's coming up soon! I can't wait!

I finished What happened in London which was a terrific urban fantasy prequel to Baking bad. It would work very well as a standalone, except that you'll want to follow more of DI Adams' adventures after reading it! When young children start disappearing from a Christmas market, leaving no traces at all behind, the police are at a loss. Could the strange things that Adams is seeing from the corner of her eye be anything to do with it? Or is she going mad? A very fun read.

Now I've started The house on the strand for this month's Virago challenge, which is to read books by Daphne du Maurier. This one is new to me, but it already has me captivated.

>3 Sakerfalcon: got me with Such Sharp Teeth, it's now on my "to read" list. I'm also looking at Baking Bad and What Happened in London.

>3 Sakerfalcon: I've heard Harrison described as cozy horror. I have Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle on my TBR.

>18 NorthernStar:, >19 libraryperilous: I really enjoyed Such sharp teeth - see below!

I've finished a few books and have fallen behind already this year!

Such sharp teeth was an excellent read, funny and gory but moving and thoughtful too. Rory was the smart girl who overachieved in high school and got out of her small town to achieve her dreams. When she returns to support her pregnant sister a violent attack leaves her permanently changed, and she realises that her way of life is no longer possible - she may lose everything she worked so hard to achieve. Rory's emotional progress as she reacts to her new situation is believable and easy to empathise with. There's also a good cast of supporting characters - her sister Scarlett, old not-quite-flame Ian, friends from high school, her mother and various others, who variously help or hinder Rory and allow us to see other sides to her personality. This book was an impulse buy from the sale shelf and I didn't really know what to expect. But this perceptive story certainly exceeded the expectations I didn't have!

I finally finished my reread of The virgin in the garden! It's not an easy read, as you might guess from how long it has taken me, and I'd say it's a book to admire rather than enjoy, although parts of it are certainly entertaining. It's set in the summer of 1953 as Elizabeth ascends to the throne, it takes place in the north of England where a new play about Elizabeth I is being performed. Alexander Wedderburn is the writer, and also a teacher at the local boys' school, along with Bill Potter whose three children are the protagonists of the book. Stephanie and Frederica both have huge crushes on Alexander, although Stephanie grows out of hers when the local curate sets his sights on her. Frederica is very intelligent but not at all wise, and blunders loudly and headlong through relationships with her family and male acquaintances, frequently missing the obvious. Their brother Marcus is nervous and sensitive, and a teacher takes him under his wing but only encourages Marcus' visions and makes him worse. (These chapters, in which Byatt goes into a lot of detail about the teacher's pseudo-scientific theories and beliefs, were some of the hardest for me to get through.) This is a clever book about clever people, who pursue the intellectual life but can't escape the tangles of the flesh. It brings to life a hot summer and the claustrophobic world of a second-rate public school. It assumes that the reader is as clever as the characters, which is flattering but daunting. I will continue to follow Frederica out of the 1950s and into the 60s in the next volume, Still life.

I really enjoyed The house on the strand by Daphne du Maurier. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, given that much of it is historical (set in the 1300s) and the protagonist and narrator is male, along with most of the characters. But I was drawn in within a few pages, just as Richard is drawn into the past. His friend Magnus has lent him his house in Cornwall for the summer, and has asked Richard if he'd mind testing a substance that he's created. This is a drug that allows him to observe past events in his present location. Richard becomes fascinated by the lives of these long-dead people and their world, to the point where the present means less to him. But he is pulled up with a jolt when his wife and stepsons arrive to join him for their holidays. As the past and present merge for Richard he and his family are placed in danger. Du Maurier writes Richard's voice utterly convincingly - not all writers can write well in the voice of the opposite sex. The darkness, dirt and cruelty of the Dark Ages is brought to life, as are the intrigues and passions of its people. Richard's descent into obsession is gripping to observe, as are the growing tensions with his wife. I'm very glad that the Virago group prompted me to read this book. And I'm continuing to explore Du Maurier's work with The Parasites.

I've also started and completed two more books.

Top marks for murder is the 8th book in the Murder Most Unladylike series, set in 1930s Britain with a pair of schoolgirl heroines. Daisy and Hazel are back at Deepdene school after a couple of terms absence, and are disconcerted to find that things have changed and they no longer fit in as before. But when their friend Binnie sees a murder from the dorm window, the Detective Society springs back into action with Daisy at the helm and Hazel her faithful sidekick. This is another enjoyable adventure, with the girls showing signs of new maturity as they've grown from their previous experiences.

And I've read The quiet woman by Christopher Priest, a novel I didn't even know existed until I found it on a library booksale shelf. It opens in 1990s England, but a couple of oddities soon indicate that this may not be the Britain that many of us lived through. Alice is living alone in a village in Wiltshire following the end of her marriage. She makes a precarious living as a writer of biographies, but her latest manuscript has been seized by the Home Office and publication is forbidden. Then Alice hears that an elderly neighbour, her only real friend in the village, has been found dead, almost certainly murdered. The third-person story of Alice is interspersed with first-person narrative by the murder victim's son, a man who is revealed to be extremely unpleasant and a very different experience of reality. Whose experience is real? Or are both, or neither? It's a strange, disturbing and compelling read. And the cat has nothing bad happen to it!

Now I've started The parasites by Du Maurier, and a classic detective novel, Death at the President's lodging which is set in an Oxbridge-type college in the 1930s. I'm also rereading Unconquerable Sun before I read the sequel, and I've started another Christopher Priest on my kindle, Expect me tomorrow.

>20 Sakerfalcon: I read The House on the Strand when I was in my 20s and a new Du Maurier fan. I don't remember much about it except it involved a sort of time travel. Your review brought it back for me. I had forgotten it was so far in the past. Might have to read it again.

I think you said you are new to Du Maurier? If so, realize her books can be hit and miss. When they are a hit, they are fantastic.

>20 Sakerfalcon:
My first Du Maurier was Jamaica Inn. I borrowed it from the school library and really enjoyed it. I re-read it in 2014 and really enjoyed it again. (Before checking my records I could have sworn my re-read was last year.) The other Du Maurier books I have read and thoroughly enjoyed are:
- Rebecca
- My Cousin Rachel
- The Scapegoat
- The Doll (Collection of short stories - really good)

I have also read Frenchman's Creek which was not as good as the others but still readable. Had it been the first Du Maurier I had read it could have been the last. As >21 MrsLee: states, her books can be hit or miss. So far I have only hit one miss, if you know what I mean. :-)

I read several Christopher Priest books years ago. I would have said about ten years ago, but I think the last of his books I read was read around the time I went to WorldCon in Glasgow in...2005. I have several unread books by him and I always mean to catch up with his writing.

The House on the Strand sounds interesting. Given my memory for when I read books I must have taken some of the drug involved in this story.

>21 MrsLee:, >22 pgmcc: I've read some of Du Maurier's most famous novels - Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Frenchman's Creek and My cousin Rachel, although some years ago. More recently I read the short story Don't look now which was amazing. I enjoyed all the novels mentioned above, so I don't know why I didn't carry on reading her books, so I'm glad the Virago group has prompted me to do so now.

>23 Sakerfalcon: Those are the same four novels by Daphne Du Maurier that I've read. I enjoyed each of them, but haven't really thought to go looking for other titles. I've also enjoyed the Michael Innes books. Far more complex than I'd expected them to be.

>24 jillmwo: I would highly recommend both The house on the strand and The parasites having just read them. Two very different books but both excellent in their own ways.

The parasites is less focused on plot and more on the characters of three siblings, the parasites of the title. Maria, Niall and Celia grew up travelling with their theatrical performer parents, cossetted and indulged when they weren't being ignored. It's easy to see how they grew into selfish, flawed, yet fascinating adults. The novel moves back and forwards in time so we can see the formative experiences and the outcome. I especially liked the theatrical background which pervades the book. I felt this book read more like something by Rumer Godden or Pamela Frankau than the books Du Maurier is best known for - not a complaint at all!

I'm enjoying Death at the President's Lodging quite a lot. The various students and academics are entertaining, and Appleby, the police detective in charge of the case, is insightful but far from infallible in his investigations.

Expect me tomorrow is also a good read so far, the plot revolving around glaciology, volcanology and climatology. I'm not sure where it is going, but I'm enjoying the journey.

I finished my reread of Unconquerable Sun and started Furious Heaven right away. It's a good thing I did because there's no summary to catch you up on events; you are plunged right in.

>25 Sakerfalcon:
The two Du Maurier novels are ones that have not crossed my path to date. You can chalk them up as BBs.

I would not say you can chalk up the Priest as a BB just yet. I have a number of his books that I have yet to read. I fell out of the habit of reading his books, mostly because I have them shelved in a slightly awkward place to get at. I fell out of the habit of buying his books because the number of his new-and-yet-unread books on my shelves was mounting and I could not bring myself to justify the on-going acquisitions. At one time I could rhyme off the publication sequence of his books, but that ability has all but disappeared in the mists of time.

What you can do, however, is take credit for urging me back to Priest's novels.

We have a number of Michael Innes novels. I will have to check if Death in the President's Lodging is amongst them. I bought several of them for my wife as she liked murder mysteries.

>26 pgmcc: I too have a lot of catching up to do with Mr Priest. I shall look forward to you excavating the books that are on your shelves.

I finished Expect me tomorrow and very much enjoyed the journey, but the destination was disappointing. The past and present twins plots linked up and were tidily resolved; however, given the impact that Adolf Beck's case had on English law, I would have thought that once Chad learned his real name he'd have found references to him easily, which could have cut out a lot of his failed attempts to find answers in the past.. But a lot of the other plot material, such as the climate research (which I found fascinating) and the IMC device, seemed to fizzle out. It felt like they'd served their plot purpose so that was it. But as I said at the beginning, I did enjoy the read for most of the book.

Death at the President's lodging was a good read but a bit too procedural for me. I enjoyed the academic setting but found the solving of the mystery to be a bit dry. I suspect fans of the mystery genre will enjoy this one more than I did.

Furious Heaven is proving to be an excellent sequel, developing the characters and continuing the action and intrigue. I am really enjoying this space opera.

On kindle I've started a collection of essays by British Muslim women, It's not about the burqa. They talk about different aspects of being Muslim women in a largely secular, white, country. It's an eye-opening read so far.

I'm also reading Still life, the sequel to The virgin in the garden. I'm getting into this a lot more quickly; thankfully there is none of the pseudoscience that bogged down the previous book for me.

Still reading and enjoying Furious Heaven. My paperback copy is so thick that my reading is limited by how long it is comfortable to hold! Also enjoying Still life, in which Frederica spends a summer as an au pair in France, before going to Cambridge, and Stephanie gives birth to her first child.

I finished It's not about the burqa which was an interesting and varied collection of essays by British Muslim women. I think this was a bookbullet from Lyzzybee. It was especially interesting to hear from women who have read the Quran for themselves and found that it teaches equality between men and women, which is often ignored or contradicted by Islamic culture. As a result most of the writers have had to rebel to some extent in order to achieve their goals.

I've also read a classic mystery by Margery Allingham, The case of the late pig. It's narrated by the detective, Campion, whose voice is lively and entertaining. A hated bully from his schooldays is reportedly dead, and Campion attends his funeral. A few months later, he is asked to attend when a man is killed in mysterious circumstances ... and the body proves to be that of the man he believed he'd seen buried. This is an amusing and twisty story with some great characters - I especially liked Campion's manservant, Lugg, and his old schoolmate Whippet. This is the first of Allingham's books that's I've read; I believe the others are all in 3rd person narration.

On kindle I'm rereading Ninth House before I start the sequel, Hell bent. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this dark tale of supernatural events at Yale!

>29 Sakerfalcon: Oh, yes. You're going to enjoy that second Leigh Bardugo. You're smart to reread the first one. I really should have done the same. It had only been a couple of years, but I had forgotten a lot of the particulars, especially about her life in California. Enjoy!

Forgot to say I'm also reading Terminal uprising, the middle part of the trilogy in which space janitors are the heroes. It is great!

>29 Sakerfalcon: I loved the 1990 BBC productions of some of Allingham's Campion stories, both for Peter Davison and for Brian Glover as Lugg in particular.

>30 clamairy: I had forgotten that much of the book was from Darlington's POV, and I didn't remember the details of his backstory.

>32 Marissa_Doyle: Based on the one book I've read so far, Peter Davison would be perfect as Campion!

>32 Marissa_Doyle: and >33 Sakerfalcon: Yes, I agree that he was great as Campion and Brian Glover was excellent as Magersfontein Lugg.

>34 jillmwo: Glover stole every scene he was in. When we're outside gardening and it's hot and humid and buggy or otherwise unpleasant my DH and I often stop and mutter to each other, "I 'ate the country!" after Lugg's memorable line in Sweet Danger, and it makes us laugh and feel better.

>34 jillmwo:, >35 Marissa_Doyle: Lugg is awesome! He pretty much steals the scenes he's in in the book too! I must see if I can access the TV adaptation.

I've finished my Ninth House reread, and also Terminal uprising. I'm really glad I reread NH as I'd forgotten a surprising amount of detail. Now I'm a few chapters into Hell bent and really needed the reminder of what happened previously.

So far Jim Hines' Janitors of the apocalypse series is a delight! Terminal uprising takes our unlikely heroes to Earth, which was devastated by a virus that essentially turned humans into zombies. Mops and her team meet up with a gang of librarians who were somehow immune to the virus and have dedicated themselves to staying under the radar and protecting the legacy of humankind as it was. This is billed as humorous SF and it is, but the stakes are high and Hines takes his plot and characters seriously. I'm looking forward to the final volume, Terminal Peace.

This month in the Virago group we are reading Elizabeth Taylor (the English novelist, not the actress!) I chose to read her final novel, written while she was dying and published posthumously. Blaming is character- rather than plot-driven, focusing on Amy who is suddenly widowed while on holiday with her husband. The eccentric Martha, an American fellow tourist, cuts short her own trip to help Amy and get her back to England. Once home, Amy doesn't really want to continue the acquaintance with Martha, but feels she ought to in thanks for her help. The friendship is grudging on Amy's part; she uses Martha when she needs an escape from her son and daughter-in-law and their precocious children. When the times comes that Martha is the one in need, will Amy step up? Taylor's gift for drawing memorable characters who spring to life from the page is in full force here - the little girls are very realistic, and Amy's general factotum, Ernie, is wonderful. I want an Ernie to run my home! This is a quiet but moving book, ultimately very powerful.

I'm continuing with Taylor's A game of hide and seek, while still enjoying Furious heaven - I'm into the final 100 pages! - and continuing with Still life.

>36 Sakerfalcon: I hope you enjoy Hell Bent! I think when the third one comes out I might try to find a good synopsis of what happened in the first two before I start it.

>37 clamairy: That's a good idea! I will be doing the same when the final part of Kate Elliott's trilogy is published (see below!)

I've finally finished Furious Heaven, the middle part of Kate Elliott's space opera trilogy. It's inspired by Alexander the Great's life and achievements, relocated in time and space, and with the genders swapped. I know almost nothing about A the G, but even without that this is a great read for anyone who loves wide-screen space opera. There is a huge cast of characters, many of whom have point-of-view chapters, enabling us to see events all over the galaxy. As well as Princess Sun, her friends and allies, we also see things from the enemy side, and it is impossible not to empathise with and root for them as well as the "heroes". The balance of action with politics is well managed, and the worldbuilding is excellent. I highly recommend this but maybe wait until book 3 is published though, because I for one am not going to have time to reread this beforehand.

I've also finished A game of hide and seek, which I liked a bit less than some of Taylor's other novels. I had little sympathy with the characters, and indeed took an instant dislike to the male lead, with whom our heroine is infatuated, which meant I couldn't empathise with or root for their relationship. Harriet and Vesey spend their summers together as children and teenagers, Harriet too repressed and shy to admit her feelings, and Vesey hiding his uncertainty behind casual cruelty and indifference. They are separated by their families, and Harriet marries and has a child. But many years later, when Vesey reappears in her life, her obsession with him flares up again. This is very well written and there are many excellent supporting characters (I especially liked the women with whom Harriet works at a dress shop) but as I said, I couldn't warm to the leads or sympathise with their predicament.

Still reading and enjoyed Hell bent and Still life, and have just started Silver Nitrate on kindle.

>38 Sakerfalcon: I read Silver Nitrate just last month. I have read most of Moreno-Garcia's catalog by now, (she is quite prolific), and felt this one is one of her stronger efforts. Hope you enjoy it!

>39 ScoLgo: I'm glad to hear this from you! Many of the reviews on LT are pretty negative, but so far I'm really enjoying the setting of the Mexican low-budget film industry.

Well... I am a bit of a 'weird fiction' reader so the story line of Silver Nitrate is more my thing than most of her other offerings. That's probably why I also really liked Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things. I still have two or three collections/anthologies to get to, (She Walks in Shadows is on my shelf and Fungi is currently in the post wending its way here). Have not yet read The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Looking forward to that one!

>41 ScoLgo: I've enjoyed pretty much all her books that I've read.Certain dark things might be my favourite. Silver nitrate is really good so far!

I finished Still life last night, the sequel to The virgin in the garden. These are dense, clever books about clever people, set in 1950s England. They follow three middle class siblings from North Yorkshire - Stephanie, who graduated from Cambridge but has married and started a family; Frederica, who is starting undergraduate life at Cambridge; and Marcus, recovering from a nervous breakdown and living with Stephanie and Daniel. Stephanie was the character I felt the most sympathy for - pregnant not long after her marriage, adjusting to life as a clergyman's wife, sharing their small house with her brother and mother-in-law. She muses on the lost outlets for her intellectual interests and tries to read Wordsworth as she goes into labour. Frederica is clever but not wise, and we see her make various social mistakes through overconfidence and awkwardness, yet she bounces back unscathed. Throughout the book, Byatt muses on Van Gogh and his use of light and colour, breaking the fourth wall to address the reader directly, sometimes looking into her characters' future. Like its predecessor, this is a demanding but fascinating book. I will try to acquire the next volume, Babel tower to see where the characters go next.

I've finished a few more books this week.

Silver nitrate is a weird/horror novel set in 1990s Mexico City. Montserrat and her best friend Tristan both work in the film industry, she as a sound editor, he as an actor. Tristan discovers that a cult horror film director lives in his building and he and Montserrat form a friendship with the old man. Soon the three of them are caught up with dark forces from the past, which are threatening to emerge again. I didn't find this super scary, but there were some shocks along the way, and I loved the setting and background of the Mexican film industry. Another great read by this (thankfully) prolific author!

I also finished Hell bent which was an excellent follow up to Ninth House. Alex and Dawes spend most of the book trying to free Darlington from hell. We see less of the other societies in this book, but learn more about Alex, Dawes, Mercy, Tripp and Turner, and about the otherworldly history of Yale and New Haven. I had one small quibble - a pet rabbit that Alex and Hellie had at Ground Zero in LA plays a fairly significant role in the book, yet I don't remember it being mentioned at all in the previous volume. It felt like Bardugo had retconned it in. But that is a small point and didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I'm eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

I also read a middle grade novel that was a book bullet from LibraryPerilous. Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is a fantasy based on Mexican mythology featuring a determined 12 year old heroine. When Cece's sister is kidnapped by a dark criatura she blames herself, and decides to try and get her sister back. But can she bring herself to embrace dark powers that are in opposition to her very nature? I enjoyed seeing how Cece finds ways to do things that break with tradition, and I liked the setting. However I felt it could have been fleshed out a bit. We are told that there are crowds of people in town, but we don't meet any friends or neighbours, and Cece doesn't seem to go to school or have other daily activities. But overall this was a good read and I'm glad I got hit by that BB!

Now I'm reading Babel and, as others have said, the colonialist attitudes of Victorian Britain are hard to read about. But in spite of that I'm enjoying getting to know Robin and his friends and follow them through their studies in an Oxford powered by magic based on silver. I think Peter would find much of interest in this book because it revolves around translation, which is the key to the silver magic.

I've also delved back into Sherwood Smith's world of Sartorius-Deles with A sword named truth, which is set some centuries after the Inda quartet. This is not a good place to start; it depends on knowledge from previous books (many of which are self-published) and features characters established in those books. But I have read summaries and reviews of these, and Smith provides enough context, that I'm finding my feet and enjoying geting to know this new generation of characters.

>43 Sakerfalcon: I hear you about the rabbit. I just assumed I had forgotten it, but you just read the first book, so I think you would have remembered it.

I'm not sure you meant to place so much of your post behind the spoiler tag!

>43 Sakerfalcon: I just noticed that and fixed it! I'm in the office so was distracted by talking to my colleagues!

I finished reading Babel and don't really have anything new to add to what others here have said. It's a great book but extremely uncomfortable to read as a white British woman. But it's important to be taken out of our comfort zones, and this book certainly does that. Robin's character grows and changes throughout the book, from sympathetic underdog, to questioning student, to radical, single-minded activist. It is true that some of the book has a didactic tone, mainly where Griffin is telling Robin about colonialism and its effects, but Kuang uses other ways to explore these topics, such as the use of languages and translation, and the question of violence vs non-violence. The world of Oxford and its colleges is immersive (there was only one point at which I was thrown out of the book, and that was when a character uses the term "Narco-military state" which felt far too modern), and the book captured the all-consuming nature of student life, and the shock of confronting the reality beyond the ivory tower. I thought the ending of the book was perfect. I'd love to know what Victoire goes on to do with her life, but I very much doubt there will be a sequel.

I visited Oxford last weekend, while I was finishing Babel, and enjoyed imagining Robin and his friends wandering the streets. I found Magpie Lane, where he and Ramy lodge, quite by accident! While I was there I of course went to the Oxfam second-and bookshop, where I found a novel by Elizabeth Taylor that I didn't yet own, A wreath of roses. I started reading it on the train home. It's set in summer, when three female friends spend a month's holiday together. On her way there, Camilla witnesses a shocking suicide, and makes the acquaintance of a fellow traveller who is going to the same destination. When she arrives, she finds her friends changed: Frances has suddenly aged, and Liz is preoccupied with her new baby. Camilla feels an outsider and starts spending time with the man she met, who both attracts and repels her. But is he all that he seems to be? Like all Taylor's novels, this is subtle and beautifully written. The opening scene on a country railway platform in the hot sun, is so evocative you can feel the heat and quietness, so soon to be shattered by horror. She builds tension throughout the novel, yet intersperses it with the inner lives of Liz, Frances and the men in their lives. All the characters are well-rounded and realistic and, as I said earlier, the setting comes to life. Taylor was such a good writer; I don't think there is a single one of her books that I haven't enjoyed.

Still reading A sword named Truth which is very good.

Also reading a Mexican-American psychological novel based on the legend of La Llorona, The haunting of Alejandra. Alejandra seems to have it all - a loving husband, three beautiful children, a big house in the Philadelphia suburbs - yet she can't shake the sadness which covers her like a cloak. She starts to see a woman in white at times when she is most despairing. Matthew can't understand what's wrong - she has everything a woman could want, right? The novel shifts back in time to tell the stories of women in Alejandra's family line, and we see that La Llorona has haunted them for generations. Can Alejandra break the pattern, with the help of her therapist and curandera Melanie? This is a good read so far, although it is hard to read of Matthew's disregard for Alejandra's mental health - she has all the signs of severe depression but they are dismissed.

And on kindle I'm reading Orbital which was a BB from Caroline. It's a literary novel which covers 24 hours in the lives of the astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS as it orbits the earth. Meditations on earth, space, time and life combine with practical and physical details to create an immersive portrait of life in this unique environment.

>46 Sakerfalcon: A Sword Named Truth sounds interesting. The description mentions that it is set in the same world as other books - is it important to read the other books first?

>47 Darth-Heather: I would say, very much so, at least the ones that are easily available. Smith has been creating this world since her childhood and there are a ton of self-published books set there which cover a lot of ground. My introduction was the Crown and Court duo, which can stand alone. Then I read the Inda quartet which are set hundreds of years earlier, and Banner of the Damned, set a century or so later than Inda. SNT is set another couple of centuries after that, and this gap is where the self-published books come in, but I have read enough reviews and summaries of them to be able to find my feet and figure out what is going on. Smith also manages to make references that give you an idea of what you have missed, without resorting to info-dumps. If you love fantasy I definitely recommend this series!

>48 Sakerfalcon: All of Sherwood's Sartorias books are available at www.bookviewcafe.com. Just sayin'. :)

Thanks Marissa, that's good to know! I don't want to read all the fill-ins but some of them seem important.

I really need to get back to the Byatt quartet Claire. I think I read the first book years ago, then got distracted. I'm not overly big on series, but love Byatt's work.

>46 Sakerfalcon: I think that is the only Taylor novel I haven't read. My favourite (the one that started me off and was gifted me) is A View of the Harbour. Coincidentally I am rereading In a Summer Season for my RL reading group this month.

>51 Caroline_McElwee: Ironically, A view of the harbour is the only Taylor I haven't read yet! I think A wreath of roses is one of her best. I've really enjoyed getting back into her writing this February. I hope your reading group has a good discussion.

>46 Sakerfalcon: >51 Caroline_McElwee: >52 Sakerfalcon: I have not read nearly as much of Taylor's work as I clearly ought to have done! Maybe I'll push one of the titles you've mentioned towards one of my book groups here. Have either of you read At Mrs. Lippincote's? I'm attracted by the marketing blurb for it.

>53 jillmwo: I think that is her first novel, and it's very good as I recall.

I just realised I didn't star you thread at the start of the year, Claire, sorry.
So nice you have company at home with William :-)

Few familiar titles in your reading, so no comments there.

>55 FAMeulstee: Thanks for visiting, Anita! Yes, William is lovely.

I hope to read Grand Hotel Europa soon. It always makes me think of Zwolle because it was on display in the bookshop there.

I finished The haunting of Alejandra and Orbital, both of which were good reads.

Alejandra uses the tropes of horror to show us a woman's journey of empowerment. Alejandra has a comfortable life with her husband and children in a luxurious home, but she is pursued by an unshakeable sadness and a voice that tells her she is worthless. Her husband doesn't get it - he has given her everything a woman could want, so why is she complaining? Through flashbacks to her ancestors, we can see that this despair is a curse that has afflicted the women in her family for centuries. Can Alejandra, with the help of her mother and her therapist/curandera, be the one to break the curse and save her children from its destructive power? There are some gory scenes in this but the real horror for me was the constant dismissal of Alejandra and her problems by her husband. He has no knowledge of the haunting she is undergoing, but she is clearly severely depressed and he just bullies her (one could critique the fact that he is a pretty unnuanced character). Alejandra's Mexican heritage plays an important role in the book, and added to its appeal for me.

Orbital is a literary novel that portrays the experiences of 6 astronauts on the ISS as it rotates around the earth. They experience 16 sunrises, track the path of a devastating tycoon towards the Phillipines, muse upon home, space, love, death, the earth and many other things, all while carrying out the daily tasks of life in space. It's a short book but one that will stay with me.

This month in the Virago group our author is Patricia Highsmith, and I've just read Those who walk away. I liked it a lot. Ray's wife commited suicide after just a year of marriage, and he is trying to understand why she might have done it. His father-in-law is sure that Ray was to blame, and is determined to exact revenge. What begins with an attempted shooting in Rome becomes a game of cat and mouse in Venice. The sense of place is superb, as is the depiction of Americans' and Venetians' relationships to the city. There are also some surprisingly (for Highsmith) warm portrayals of friendships that develop between Ray and some of the city's working class citizens. There is perhaps not the same level of tension as in some of her better-known books but I certainly enjoyed this one.

I'm still reading A sword named Truth, and I've started The blighted stars which is SF by the author of Velocity weapon which I very much enjoyed. And I've also just started Grey bees by Andrei Kurkov.

Oh, I just took a bullet with Orbital!

Hmm, it's already on my wishlist. Now I have to figure out how it got there.

>58 clamairy: I hope you will like Grey Bees! I thought it was a good read.

>49 Marissa_Doyle: The CJ's Notebooks that have been published so far should be available as e-books. They fall between Banner of the Damned and Senrid in the Sartorias-Deles series.

>58 clamairy: Ha! My wishlist is so long by now that I have completely forgotten the origin of some of the items, and even what attracted me to them!

>59 Alexandra_book_life: I loved it! See below.

>60 humouress: It looks as though pretty much all the series are available on kindle. CJ is one of my least favourite characters so these won't be the first books I seek out. I have the first part of Time of daughters (I know, I should have read that before A sword named Truth), and I will add the sequels to SNT for sure.

I've finished both A sword named Truth and Grey bees. The only other work by Kurkov that I've read is his Penguin duology which I loved, and have been slow to pick up anything else for fear it won't meet that high standard. I needn't have worried. Bees has the same mix of humour and poignancy that I enjoyed before, and an appealing lead character in Sergeyich. He and his former high school enemy, Pashka, are the only two residents remaining in their village, which lies in the "grey zone" between the Russian and Ukrainian fronts in Donbass. His daily routine revolves around keeping warm and making sure his bees are okay. As the winter thaws and bombardment increases, Sergeyich decides he needs to take his bees somewhere where they can forage in peace. He sets out for Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia (the book was written in 2020), but where he knows a fellow beekeeper. Along the way he encounters soldiers and civilians from both sides, seeing good and bad sides of humanity. The horrors of war and injustice are always in the background (and sometimes foreground) but Sergeyich's basic decency and his care for his bees keeps the darkness at bay. This is a fascinating look at life in this contested region, which helps to understand what is happening there today in a way that is warm and engaging.

A sword named Truth was a great re-introduction to the world of Sartorias-Deles. This is a vast and complex universe which Smith has been creating since she was 15. This volume brings together a lot of characters from earlier books, at a time when a number of young people find themselves thrust into leadership of their realms. Along with the everyday responsibilites of leadship, the world is facing the threat of an invasion from the ancient enemy of Norsunder (the same foe as in the Inda quartet, still a threat some centuries later). Slowly the young rulers must overcome their distrust of each other and come together to oppose the enemy. This is a wide-screen fantasy novel, with a large cast of characters set all over the (not included in this book) map. (This book really needs a map.) Smith wove in references to events that preceded the novel, without info-dumping, so I was able to understand the background to the plot, but it's probably not the best place to start with this world. I'm not sure why DAW published this volume but seems not to have picked up the sequels. It's a bit annoying, I'd have liked to have matching print books on my shelf. Never mind.

The blighted stars is a good read so far. It's set in an SFnal future where people's minds can be mapped and saved, so that in the event of a catastrophe, a new body can be printed and the mind downloaded into it. Five families/corporations dominate the universe; we are concerned with Mercator, who are able to mine the valuable mineral relkatite. The book opens as Tarquin, the scholarly son of Mercator, is about to lead his first exploratory mission onto a virgin world where relkatite has been found. However, before they land, something goes horribly wrong, and the spaceships start firing at each other. Tarquin and some crew members are able to crash land on the planet, where they start to find some very strange things ... things that imply that this world has been visited already. With him is his bodyguard, or EX, Lockhart. But little does he know that Lockhart is actually the mind of an anti-Mercator activist, Naira Sharp, downloaded into the EX's body. There is plenty of mystery, suspense and action in the novel so far; the characters are interesting, as is the universe and its technology. I'm enjoying this a lot.

I've also started reading Life ceremony, a short story collection by Sayaka Murata who is best known for Convenience store woman. These stories are weird, with a fair amount of unsettling, even horrific elements, but often with a relatable portrayal of love at their heart. Definitely closer in tone and content to Earthlings than CSW so far. I'm really enjoying the collection so far.

And I've started a cosy fantasy, The house witch and the enchanting of the hearth. It's set in a royal palace, specifically in the kitchen, where newly hired cook Finlay Ashowan is shaking up not just the catering but the whole castle and its denizens. There is also a cat. I've only just started this but it's a lovely read so far.

>61 Sakerfalcon: I'm not sure why DAW published this volume but seems not to have picked up the sequels. It's a bit annoying, I'd have liked to have matching print books on my shelf.

YES!!! (Sorry for shouting. I'm annoyed about it too.)

I get the impression that the CJ Notebooks were the ones she kicked off Sartorias-Deles with when she was 15 and, to be honest, it shows. But I'm a completist and I love S-D (or as far as I've got with it).

I would also have read A Sword Named Truth after having read the others (I'm also a serialist) but I was doing a shared read. I have a lot of the novels in paperback but the Time of Daughters books are expensive plus I have to pay for shipping halfway around the world. I'll get there, sometime ...

>62 humouress: I'm glad it's not just me!

I have this issue with Victoria Goddard's books. I would love to have them in print but they are really expensive. I should just be grateful that ebooks exist and are usually affordable.

>61 Sakerfalcon: Life Ceremony was interesting, but I didn't quite love it (my problem was weirdness for weirdness' sake). I hope you enjoy it, anyway :) Convenience Store Woman is a book I still think about from time to time, and I read it four years ago...

Nice to see that you liked Grey Bees!

>64 Alexandra_book_life: I think I enjoyed Life ceremony more than you did, but I agree that some of the stories just seemed pointless. I thought that Murata put nice portrayals of love and friendship at the heart of the most successful stories.
Yes, Grey bees was very good! I have Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv to read next by Kurkov.

I've finished The blighted stars which was a good start to a new SF trilogy. I don't feel that it's as ambitious as the Protectorate books, which I loved; these are smaller in scope, and there is more focus on a central romance. But the background intrigue is interesting and I will go on to read the next instalment.

I've also read All out, a collection of more-or-less historical stories (I refuse to accept that 2000 is historical!) about LGBTQ+ teens. Many of the stories were excellent, marrying sympathetic characters, a convincing historical setting and an effective plot, within the limits of the form. A couple felt far too rushed, and two of them I actively disliked. This was a good read for my commute to work.

I'm still enjoying The house witch, it's a charming and entertaining fantasy which takes place in a small, peaceful kingdom which is threatened by warlike neighbours. Unassuming cook Finlay may become a key player in his country's defence, despite his magic being strongest for small domestic spells.

On kindle I've been reading The stargazers, a British novel about a woman haunted by her toxic childhood in a crumbling stately home. The narrative is mostly set in 1970s Hampstead and 1950s Sussex, with small sections from the 1920s and the present day. Sarah and her sister Victoria had a horrific upbringing of neglect and cruelty, both eventually escaping in their own ways. But the ramifications of her past threaten Sarah's happiness with her husband and children. I was drawn to this by the gorgeous cover (I have to be honest!) and the Gothic elements of the dilapidated mansion. It has been keeping me enthralled so far. Contains cruelty to children and animals.

I'm also rereading Dune, after enjoying part 2 of the film.

>65 Sakerfalcon:
I read Dune for the first time in 2018. Around the same time I read The Leopard by Guideppe di Lampedusa. I was convinced Frank Herbert had read The Leopard before writing Dune.

I cannot recommend The Leopard strongly enough.

>66 pgmcc: I second The Leopard with pleasure! Excellent and multilayered.

>67 Alexandra_book_life: A book to go back to time and again.

>65 Sakerfalcon: I snagged Dune from Audible a few years ago. I read the first six books in the series during the 1980s before I stopped. I keep forgetting to listen to it, but I should probably do that before I watch the latest film. Thanks for the reminder.

I need to catch up! I've been away for a few days, but the real reason I haven't posted is just tiredness. And maybe laziness. I just can't get my brain in gear to write.

>66 pgmcc:, >67 Alexandra_book_life: I own a copy of The leopard. Now I just need to find it ...

>69 clamairy: Having finished my reread, I would say that the first film sticks closer to the book than the second. The main difference is the timeframe is shorten in the film, from several years to a few months. Unfortunately now I feel an urge to continue to Dune Messiah, in spite of having loathed it when I read it before! But it seems obvious that there will be a third film, which surely must be based on this book.

The house witch was a really nice cosy fantasy, in which bad people learn to do better, good people have happy endings, and a cook can change people's lives through his baking. It is perhaps longer than it needs to be, and some of the humour isn't as funny as it's supposed to be, but this was a charming read and I already have the sequel on my kindle.

I enjoyed The stargazers a lot. It has strong gothic vibes, with a crumbling stately home, obsession, a disputed inheritance, and Jane Eyre-esque cruelty to children. It takes place in Hampstead in the late 1960s, and at Fane Hall after WWII. Sarah hasn't been in touch with her mother or sister for years; the trauma of her childhood has led her to cut all ties with them and the family home. Her mother was not entitled to inherit the house, yet she is obsessed with it being "hers". This is the driving passion of her life, at the expense of her daughters' wellbeing. Older sister Vic finds her own way to cope, leaving Sarah to rely on the kindness of strangers. These scars haunt her years later as an insecure young mother, married to a charming, flamboyant, careless husband. The books moves between the two times, revealing secrets and showing their effects. There was one plot thread that I didn't think was necessary (although it was quite plausible, if melodramatic), but most of the twists were very well done. There is cruelty to children and animals, but in spite of that I found the book extremely compelling.

I've also read a children's book that was lent to me by a choir friend. The last bear is about a 12 year old girl who travels to Bear Island, part of the Svalbard archipelago, with her father, where he will be recording meterological data for 6 months. April is excited to have more time to spend with him, away from their busy lives, but she is disappointed to find that he's just as remote as ever. So she spends her days exploring the island. Despite its name, there are no bears on Bear Island. But she's sure she saw a huge white animal in the distance ... This is a lovely, compelling and moving read about a girl's bond with a wild creature, and her growing understanding of humans' impact on nature. I think LibraryPerilous would enjoy this book.

On kindle I read an "urban" fantasy (it's set in our world with magic, but takes place in a village), Accidental magic. Rosemary and her daughter Athena are surprised to learn that they have inherited a manor house from Rosemary's grandmother. They are even more shocked when they realise that the old woman was a witch, and that magic may run in the family. How Rosemary and Athena find their feet in a village where the local policeman suspects them of murder, the cafe owner puts strange ingrediants in the tea, and the house is attracting unwelcome visitors, makes for an entertaining read. Rosemary tends to be fluttery and incompetent, chattering too much when she's nervous and having to be kept in check by Athena. This is amusing at first but gets old quickly. She does develop more confidence and ability as the book progresses, so I'm hoping this will be sustained in futher books.

I've also read a historical novel, For thy great pain have mercy on my little pain, which is told in the alternating voices of Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. The text is based on their writings, and paints a picture of the lives and spirituality of two very different mediaeval women. It's a short novel but I found it engaging. I know something of both women, but this would be good if you had no knowledge of them at all. If you know a lot about them, or have read their books, then it may be too simple.

I'm currently reading The will to battle, which is the third in Ada Palmer's complicated future history quartet. I have to be honest and say this is a struggle. There are many, many characters, a lot of philosophy, and it's told almost entirely through dialogue. But I am determined to finish this series.

Also reading Bad feminist by Roxane Gay. I started this ages ago and I'm not sure why I didn't read it all at the time. But I've started again from the beginning. Gay is a honest, funny and critical writer, looking incisively at race, gender and sexuality. Some of the essays are a little dated, in terms of pop culture references and certain people's reputations, but sadly the key issues are still all too relevant.

>70 Sakerfalcon:
I hope you enjoy The Leopard, assuming you find it.
:-)

>70 Sakerfalcon: I loved Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series! They are asking a lot of the reader, though, that's true. I struggled with the first book, but once I was in, I was hooked. It was a book club pick, and some people hated the book, and some loved it. The discussion was wonderful and grew heated. It was several years ago, but we still talk about it sometimes - "do you remember Too Like the Lightning?" I hope you will find things to enjoy, despite the struggle :)

>70 Sakerfalcon: The historical novel with St. Julian and Margery Kempe really sounds quite interesting. How on earth did it cross your radar? You manage to pick up some of the most intriguing titles and I'd love to know how you manage to discover them.

Sakerfalcon, be careful not to give away any secrets to >73 jillmwo:. Remember the security protocols regarding apparently innocuous questions from seemingly innocent sources.

>70 Sakerfalcon: Sorry to hear you are struggling with Terra Ignota. I read all four books in print last year while also listening to the audio. Hearing the dialogue really helped my enjoyment as the voice acting was, in my opinion, incredibly well done. The first book is narrated by a different person than the rest of the quartet but I had trouble discerning a difference as the 2nd narrator used nearly the same voices for any characters that carried over from Too Like the Lightning. Upon completion of this re-imagining of ancient mythos set in our future, it ended up being my top read of 2023. Perhaps the Stars is the heftiest tome in the tetralogy so I hope the experience improves for you as you soldier on.

>72 Alexandra_book_life:, >75 ScoLgo: I have enjoyed the first two books but I think I'm just a bit tired at the moment and am missing some of the nuances of this one. I don't have much knowledge of (or interest in) philosophy, so that is a bit of a struggle too. I love what Palmer is doing in the series though, creating a future that is so unlike anything else I've read. I'm about 2/3 through now and it's building up well.

>73 jillmwo:, >74 pgmcc: At risk of compromising my sources, here goes! I get most of my F&SF book recommendations from tor.com, which has monthly posts that list forthcoming titles. I also read fantasyliterature.com, whose reviewers I like. More mainstream literature comes from The Guardian (which is where I first read about For thy great pain). (They also have a monthly SF column where Lisa Tuttle reviews 3 or 4 recent releases.) I look at Literary Hub too, although I can no longer keep up with their daily emails. And then I go into brick and mortar stores to browse, frequently finding titles I know nothing about but which look intriguing. Hence my ever-growing book piles!

>76 Sakerfalcon: Thank you for providing this service for the rest of us! ❤️

I look at the NY Times Book Review (not every week) and read their "Read like the wind!" email, which promotes older books. Most of the rest of my recommendations come from reading LibraryThing threads.

>77 clamairy: Yes! LT is the biggest source of book recs for me too!

>78 Sakerfalcon: Definitely. I am very thankful for this, as I am much more likely to find books that suit my taste in here than anywhere else.

>70 Sakerfalcon: Thank you. It sounds like a lovely story.

>76 Sakerfalcon: Thank you for the pointers. I do check Tor (or Reactor as it's now called) periodically but I realize as I'm typing this that I only do so sporadically so lately what my personalized Google news feed serves up rather than visiting on my own such places as The Guardian and LitHub. It's really your reviews that keep me eyeing many of the Virago titles and authors.

Oops, I only just realised I was missing this for this year. Hello! Yes, the Burqa book was me (did I read it yet myself, though, hm ...) and I don't think you're going to love Babel Tower as it's got all another book inside it which is HORRIBLE. Maybe you've decided that yourself by now!

>82 LyzzyBee: I haven't yet got to Babel Tower! The book-within-a-book thing isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me, if it's done well (I loved The blind assassin by Margaret Atwood) but I will bear your warning in mind!

I've finished The will to battle and Bad feminist. As I said above, The will to battle was a struggle at times, a book to admire rather than love IMO. The worldbuilding is amazing, but there is less of it in this volume, and more philosophy. I haven't read Hobbes at all, which seems a disadvantage. It did pick up in the second half, but I'm glad it's done and I can move on to the next volume when I have a bit more mental energy.

The Roxane Gay essays were perfect for reading the train, as I could get through a couple on each journey. I most enjoyed the ones where she talked about her experiences as a Black woman in academia, and the bits about Scrabble. Some of the ones on pop culture have dated a little - mostly in terms of people who are now persona non grata - but the issues raised are still very relevant. Sigh.

I've been reading Starling House by Alix Harrow which is excellent. I can hardly tear myself away from it. Opal has grown up poor in a small Kentucky town that both relies on and resents the rich Gravely family who made their money from mining. The eponymous house is a place of mystery, feared by the locals, with dark stories swirling around it. It appears in Opal's dreams, and one day she finds herself drawn to the gates, where she is confronted by Arthur, the current resident. What Opal finds behind its doors, and implications this has for herself, her beloved younger brother, and the whole town, kept me enthralled. A scary classic children's book, beasts that appear out of the fog, a house that responds to its inhabitants, a haunting past, a deprived town - this contemporary fantasy has lots of gothic elements that mesh well with the plot and characters. Opal is tough and scrappy, unwilling to trust others, but she learns that she has supporters she never expected. This is my favourite of the three novels I've read by Harrow so far, and I highly recommend it.

I've also started A strange and stubborn endurance, which is a fantasy/romance (hopefully more the former than the latter) and Full immersion a psychological horror novel based on the author's own experience of post-natal depression and its treatment. And I'm reading a vintage girls' school story that I found used while on holiday recently, Challenge to Caroline.

>83 Sakerfalcon: Oooh! I have Starling House on my Libby wishlist. I love the way she writes! I will have to bump this one up the stack.

I've had the nasty chesty cough which seems to be making its way around the UK, which has meant less energy for posting, and a lot of time sleeping. But I have some books to report back on.

Starling House finished as strongly as it started. Scrappy Opal's life in a small Kentucky town ravaged by mining put me in mind of Demon Copperhead, but the gothic elements put the book firmly in the fantasy realm. I want to read The Underland!

Full immersion was an odd read, but a powerful look at post-natal depression and the destructive effects it can have on the sufferer and her family. Magpie opts for a controversial experimental treatment when everything else has failed, and finds herself in an other world that is both strange and familiar. She is watched over by two scientists, who may not have the control over the experiment that they think they do. Slowly, things begin to go wrong both in and out of the simulation. This was a slow burn which came to a dramatic peak.

By chance I read another book which also relates in part to PND, this time written by a Canadian First Nations author. I would class And then she fell as domestic horror, as the real and the supernatural combine to haunt Alice after she has her first baby. Alice has married a white husband and left the rez to try and fit in with his middle class life in the Toronto suburbs. But as a Native person she finds herself the subject of suspicious looks and judgemental attitudes. She feels persecuted and is afraid that she'll be seen as an unfit mother and her child taken away from her. The visions she sees and voices she hears add to her fear, although the reader wonders whether they are real or figments of her imagination. At about 80% in, the book suddenly changes to a different viewpoint, disorienting the reader, but eventually tying the past to the present and unveiling the mystery behind Alice's visions. There are some heavy themes here, dealt with effectively through a protagonist whom it was easy to empathise with. It's an excellent, unsettling read.

I'm catching up on the Liaden books as I've fallen a few books behind. I finished Accepting the lance, which brought several plotlines to a head, and have just started Trader's leap. I need to check which book last centred this particular storyline, as I don't remember it well. But it's good to be back with Clan Korval and their allies.

I've also read a YA fantasy/UF, Legendborn, set on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus and featuring a Black heroine who is still bruised by her mother's recent death. Briana is sure that the mysterious Order has something to do with it, and decides to infiltrate its portals to find the truth. The exclusive Order is based on Arthurian legends and I found the details of it overcomplicated so I skimmed over the minutiae, which I don't think mattered too much. Racism is present in both Briana's own experiences and in the past events she uncovers; the legacy of slavery turns out to be the basis of a major plot twist. The strongest theme in the story is Briana's grief over the loss of her mother, and this permeates all her actions and sets the book apart from being just another YA fantasy. I have the sequel on kindle so I shall read it at some point.

I'm still reading A strange and stubborn endurance. It's an M/M fantasy/romance, which so far has a good balance of both genres. The first few chapters are focused on the relationship between Velasin and Cae, but both characters communicate clearly with each other so there isn't a prolonged period of misunderstanding and crossed purposes, thank goodness. And soon, violent events put the romance on the backburner as both men seek to find out who is responsible and why. Both the protagonists and the supporting characters are interesting people whom I care about already, and I'm firmly invested in the story now.

I've also started Biography of X, which is a widow's exploration of her artist wife's past, in a world where the US was split into Northern Western and the walled-off Southern territories. The narrative includes ephemera and images, which I always enjoy. It's a good read so far.

And I've started another YA UF book, Mina and the slayers, which is a sequel to Mina and the undead. Following the events of the first book, Mina is now attending school in New Orleans and dealing with the fact that her boyfriend is now a vampire. She's also started a work experience placement with the police department - just as there's a rash of mysterious killings in the city. These books are published by a small UK Press and are physically really nice quality items, with black-sprayed page edges and good quality paper. I'm happy to support this kind of enterprise, especially when the book are fun and well-written.

Ooh! I'm in the middle of Starling House, and love it! I do like the house itself as a character. :)

I'd also put A Strange and Stubborn Endurance on my wishlist.

>85 Sakerfalcon: & >86 Marissa_Doyle: I just finished Starling House about 20 minutes ago. I had not thought about the Demon Copperhead comparison, but you are spot on. (And it's not just the red hair.) I loved this one.

>86 Marissa_Doyle: I just finished Starling House about a week ago and loved the way the house was portrayed, (not your average spooky haunted house at all).

>85 Sakerfalcon: I too want to read The Underland!, (funny how the touchstone goes back to Starling House ;).

>85 Sakerfalcon:
That nasty cough is doing the rounds in Ireland too. I brought it to France with me and after five weeks I appear to be getting rid of it. I hope you get rid of yours soon. It is quite depressing.

>89 pgmcc: & >85 Sakerfalcon: Yikes. I hope you're both in full health, soon. It's not RSV, is it?

>86 Marissa_Doyle: I hope you enjoy Starling House as much as I did!

>87 clamairy:, >88 ScoLgo: It is such a good book!

>89 pgmcc: I hope the cough goes away soon. Mine seems to go for a while before surging back, usually when I am in a crowded train or the silent area at work ....

>90 clamairy: I don't think so. It's spreading widely at the moment, and people are calling it "the 100 day cough" for its persistence.

I've finished reading Biography of X and Mina and the slayers. X wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be. The alternative history of the US, in which the South seceded in 1945, is used as a background and is effective, but I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been in the foreground. The parody of the art scene is good, but X herself is so banal and annoying that I can't understand anyone wanting to spend more than a few minutes with her, let alone becoming obsessed or infatuated. I know that's part of the satire, but i'm not convinced by X as either a person or an artist. Still, I like the inclusion of visual ephemera, and the hints of the alternative history are good.

Mina is the second in a series about a British teenager who moves to New Orleans to be with her sister. In the first book, Mina discovers that vampires are real and dangerous. This second book continues her adventures as she discovers and joins the slayers, a group dedicated to killing vampires who break the Code i.e. start killing humans. Vampires are on the rise, and Mina needs to find out why before mass carnage occurs. The books are set in the 1990s and contain lots of references to the pop culture and horror films of that decade (Mina is a huge fan of horror). There's a good mix of humour with a genuine sense of seriousness at the deaths which occur. I'm really enjoying this YA series and will look out for the next book.

I'm still reading A strange and stubborn endurance and Trader's leap, both of. which are very good. On kindle I've started Vespertine, a YA fantasy novel which contains elements of Red sister and Sabriel. I'm loving it so far!

Happy Birthday, Claire! 🎈

Thank you! I've had a busy few days celebrating!

I finished Vespertine and loved it. To the elements of Red sister and Sabriel, add a hefty dose of Penric to create a humorous, exciting and moving book. Artemisia is happy with her life as a Gray Sister, cleansing the bodies of the dead to prevent them from being possessed by dark spirits. When her convent is attacked, she finds herself awakening a revenant to defend it. She is flung into religious and political intrigue, while trying to keep the revenant from possessing her. Their bond develops into something unexpected as the danger increases. Artemisia is an engaging protagonist, spiky and anti-social (with many traits of autism), and her world is well developed and plausible. The plot moves fast and twists and turns, drawing the reader in quickly. I liked Sorcery of thorns by this author a lot, but Vespertine is even better, IMO.

>93 Sakerfalcon: Uh oh. Going on my wishlist!

>94 clamairy: It is SO good! I don't think you'll regret it!

I've finished A strange and stubborn endurance and Trader's leap. Trader's leap continues Shan, Priscilla and Padi's story from Alliance of equals; I wouldn't read this without reading the earlier book. Events overlap with those of Accepting the lance, so we have information that the characters here don't. It's good to see Padi learning to use her dramliza powers, albeit reluctantly, and starting her career as a trader. We are also introduced to a new (I think) world and society, which I expect we'll return to in future books.

I was slow getting into A strange and stubborn endurance, although I engaged with the characters right from the start. It just crept up on me how good it actually was! I thought Meadows balanced the romantic story with the political action very well, as Cae and Vel's relationship develops perhaps differently than it might have done in a more peaceful time. The city and people of Qi-Katai are well-drawn, and the mystery of who is behind the assassination attempts unfurls at a satisfying pace. I really liked that Cae and Vel TALK to each other about their thoughts, feelings, and fears, rather than suppressing them and letting misunderstandings grow. It was so refreshing. This makes it somewhat ironic that the villain's motivations stem from NOT having been told important things by other people. There is a sequel which I will want to read but all loose ends are tied up in this book. This is a very well-written book that celebrates love and gender in all their forms while weaving a compelling story in a vivid world.

I'm currently reading two YA novels, She is a haunting and Where sleeping girls lie. The first is set in Vietnam with a Vietnamese-American protagonist who is helping her father open a new guest house in exchange for him paying her school fees. But the house is restless, haunted by people and events from the colonial past. I was really looking forward to this book, but am finding it curiously unengaging. I'm not sure why. I love the setting, but the plot is just not quite there. Sleeping girls is set in an exclusive British boarding school, where new girl Sade Hussein finds that she is not the only one with secrets. On her first night, her roommate Elizabeth goes missing, but the school is curiously unconcerned. Sade and her Elizabeth's best friend Baz team up to try and find her, and seem to be on the verge of uncovering some nasty goings-on. I like Sade, Baz is lovely, and I'm really enjoying this.

I've also just started The surviving sky, a far-future SF novel where the remnants of humanity live on plant-based structures in planetary atmospheres, where the architects who shape the environments are supreme. The main characters are a married couple whose relationship has broken down. It's interesting so far, at the first 3 chapters.

I've been absent for a while because I've had Covid and have really only been sleeping most of the time. That said I have finished a few books.

I finished The surviving sky and was ultimately disappointed by it. The premise of a future where humans have to live on plant-forms that float above the surface of planets ravaged by violent storms is interesting, but the "science" (might as well be magic) of how these habitats are created and maintained gets very bogged down in philosophy. The author's note suggests that it's based on Hindu philosophy, which I have no knowledge of; what it means for the book is that you have characters entering and progressing between several mental states or planes of reality - the Deepness, the Moment, the Resonance, the Etherium - each of which is meant to be distinct but I got bogged down and started skimming those sections. I guess I prefer exterior action to that on a mental plane. I also got a bit tired of the angsty on again-off again nature of the main characters' marriage. There were some excellent scenes in the novel but unfortunately not enough of them to outweigh its flaws for me. Readers who are interested in philosophy and/or Hinduism will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.

She is a haunting was also disappointing. The characters and plot never really came alive for me. I liked the Vietnamese setting, and the issues around colonialism were well-integrated but overall this fell flat for me.

Where sleeping girls lie was a much better read. I really liked the characters and how we get to know them as the plot is revealed. The author is skilful at portioning out backstory so that it is revealed at the most dramatic moments yet making the timing feel natural. I really liked the focus on friendships that is at the core of the book. It is sadly realistic in showing how an institution cares more for its reputation than the wellbeing of the students. A really good YA mystery.

Since I got sick I've mainly been reading old school stories by Nancy Breary and Phyllis Matthewman, as comfort reads are really all I can cope with. But I'm on the mend now and hope to find some energy for my vacation which starts on Thursday. I'm going to Japan with my sister so I really want to enjoy it to the fullest!

>96 Sakerfalcon: Oh no! I'm so sorry. Was this your first or second time with the virus? I hope you bounce back quickly. Sending healing juju your way.

>96 Sakerfalcon: I hope you will feel much better soon!

>96 Sakerfalcon: Crossing my fingers that you are sufficiently recovered to be able to enjoy the travel to Japan with your sister!!

>96 Sakerfalcon: Sorry to hear about your Covid, but hoping your recovery is complete before your trip to Japan. Have a ball.

I have a Serbian friend who has travelled the world. He is multilingual and can make himself understood in most parts of the world. He went to Japan. He has no Japanese or any language related to Japanese. He said it was the only place he had ever been where he felt unable to communicate with people or understand any signposts. I trust you and your sister will not have that experience.

Have a ball. I look forward to your photographs.

>96 Sakerfalcon: Wishing you 100% well soon!

>96 Sakerfalcon: I hope you feel better soon.

>96 Sakerfalcon: Best wishes, get well soon, and have a great time in Japan.

>96 Sakerfalcon: Sorry to hear about your COVID case, I hope you are fully well soon. The Surviving sky reminds me of Niven's old Integral Trees novels.

Hope you feel completely recovered by the time you set off, and that you have a wonderful time!

I'm sorry to hear you had covid. I hope you're fully recovered now. Have a lovely trip with your sister and remember to take lots of photos for us.

Sorry about the Covid. I hope you are feeling 100% better!

My coworker is going to Japan after school gets out. She's super excited! I hope you have a great time!

I hope you feel better soon and have a wonderful holiday with your sister!

I'm sorry that you contracted COVID-19, Claire. Are you letting it run its course, or can you get a prescription for an antiviral medication such as Paxlovid as we can in the US? I hope that you make a quick and complete recovery.

Have a great trip to Japan!!

Thank you so much for all the comments and well-wishes, everyone! I tested negative for Covid a few days before we were due to fly, and I found the energy to enjoy the holiday to its fullest. Japan is an incredible place and I already want to go back there. It's a looooooong flight though ...

>97 clamairy: This was my second time and I felt worse this time.

>98 Alexandra_book_life:, >99 jillmwo:, >101 MrsLee:, >102 Narilka:, >103 haydninvienna:, >105 LyzzyBee:, >106 humouress:, >108 libraryperilous: Thank you all! The well-wishes helped a lot. You are a powerful bunch of people!

>100 pgmcc: I hope you enjoyed the photographs! I spotted many elephants so you were not far from my thoughts.
We found it easier to communicate than we expected. Because we were mostly in cities (Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo) virtually all signage was in English as well as Japanese, so finding our way and using public transport was mostly straightforward (Google Maps helped a lot too). When people didn't speak English (and we only had a few words of Japanese) we found that pointing and gestures went a long way, and people were friendly and wanted to help. We also had a huge advantage in being met upon arrival by my Japanese friend who showed us how to buy train tickets and navigate the vast Namba Station in central Osaka. She spent our first few days with us and gave us much of the knowledge we needed for the rest of our stay.

>104 Karlstar: I'm not familiar with the Niven books but having had a quick google it does sound like a similar concept.

>107 catzteach: I hope your co-worker has as good a time in Japan as I did! It's a fantastic place.

>109 kidzdoc: As I'm not classed as clinically vulnerable I don't think I can get a prescription for Covid medication, but after the first 3 days I was starting to feel better, and after 5 days I tested negative. I worked from home for a couple of days, then came onto campus for the day before my departure to clear things up in the office and see my colleagues.
Japan is amazing, I hope that one day you might be able to go and discover it for yourself. We had some incredible meals!

I read some Japanese fiction while I was away - At the end of the matinee, Honeybees and distant thunder, and Murder in the Crooked House. The first two books were both very much about music and musicians, which didn't occur to me when I chose them. Matinee is about a classical guitarist and a journalist who meet by chance and are strongly attracted to each other. Their careers force them in different directions, but they stay in touch via Skype and manage a couple more meetings in person. But then chance intervenes to part them more severely and both make commitments that seem irrevocable. Will they ever manage to be together? This sounds like a romance, and the main thread is indeed one, but both characters have fully fleshed out lives which are fascinating to read about. Honeybees follows four young people as they compete in an international piano competition. They have varied demons to overcome and motivations for competing, but all are interesting and sympathetic characters. Murder is an extreme take on the class locked-room mystery, set in a very strange and unique house in the middle of winter. I loved the setting but the mystery and its resolution was too forced for my taste.

Now I'm back I'm reading a variety of things. I'm enjoying Translation state by Ann Leckie; it's interesting to see the world of the Raadch from different viewpoints. My friend lent me a Spanish classic, Nada, about a young girl coming to Barcelone for university and staying with her dysfunctional family after the Spanish Civil War. It's quite dark but the setting is extrememly vivid and compelling. And on kindle I'm reading The book of love by Kelly Link. I've enjoyed some of her short fiction and this, her first novel, is drawing me in very effectively.

There are lots of pics from Japan on my facebook page; if anyone wants to see them there and can't, drop me a PM here.

>110 Sakerfalcon: So happy to hear about your recovery and that you had a wonderful trip to Japan :))))

Your books sound pretty great, too. It's nice that you are enjoying Translation State.

>110 Sakerfalcon:
I can vouch for how wonderful Claire’s pictures from Japan are. Her pictorial travel journals are always a joy to browse.

I've finished some more books, and realised I forgot to report on a couple!

While I was away I also read Days at the Morisaki bookshop, which was a nice, short read. It's about a young woman who finds herself emotionally adrift when her boyfriend announces that he's engaged to marry another women. Takako reluctantly takes refuge with her uncle at the used bookshop he owns and runs, and of course over time her wounds heal, she makes new friends, and finds a new sense of purpose. The second half of the book is set a year or so later, when her uncle's estranged wife returns to him. This is a light and bittersweet read, set in the Jimbocho neighbourhood of Tokyo where there are hundreds of second-hand bookshops. I fully intend to visit on some future trip to Japan!

Upon my return I read an Italian novel, Forbidden notebook, which is the diary of a wife and mother in post-WWII Rome. Valeria gives in to an unexpected impulse and buys a notebook in which to record her thoughts. She uses all her ingenuity to keep it hidden from her husband and adult children, who laugh at the very notion that she might have any need to keep a diary. Valeria has always been a traditional, dutiful wife and mother, but as her children grow up in a different world, with different values, she starts to question herself and her relationships, finding her own voice through the diary. I found this a moving and thought-provoking read, which made me glad that we live in a time and place where women have more choices.

I finished Translation state which I enjoyed, although not as much as the Ancillary trilogy. It was satisfying to work out how the three characters would come together and their stories entwine, and to learn more about the Presger and how they are perceived. Qven's first-person narration feels very alien and simultaneously fascinated and repelled me, and I very much enjoyed seeing how he develops as the plot unfolds. I also really liked the slow-burn relationship between Qven and Reet as they grow to trust each other.

Nada was an intense, dark read, focused on a young student caught in the repressive, dysfunctional household where she stays with her extended family while studying in Barcelona. Her grandmother, aunt and uncles enact their dramas in their crumbling apartment, with Andrea as a reluctant witness. She escapes into friendship with Ena, but her family complicates that too. This is a powerful portrait of a young woman trying to escape from a family that is haunted by the past, set in a vividly-drawn post-Civil War Barcelona. Reading it alongside Forbidden notebook was an interesting comparison of women's lives and roles in mid-C20th southern Europe.

The book of love took me longer than I expected to read - on kindle, one can't tell how physically large a book is! But I thoroughly enjoyed it all. At first, I found the characters mostly obnoxious and offputting, but their situation and the town of Lovesend, kept me reading until I got to know the protagonists well enough to understand and like them. Mo, Daniel and Laura have been brought back from the dead by their school music teacher, with only murky memories of what happened to them. They have been missing for almost a year and must figure out what happened to them, and learn to use the magic they now possess, in order to remain in the world of the living. Their resurrection has upset a balance of power that held strong for centuries, and powerful forces are now set against them. This book is dark, funny, hopeful, quirky, thoughtful and hugely imaginative. It is full of music and magic, the need to do laundry and get up to go to work. There is love and loss, joy and sadness. I found it completely absorbing.

I've also read Territorial rights by Muriel Spark, a complicated mystery set in Venice. It starts out with Robert, a young man who arrives from Paris to study art history but it soon becomes clear that he is trying to escape a prior entanglement, which follows him to Venice. The cast of characters grows to include, among others, a wealthy American art dealer, Robert's father and his paramour, a Bulgarian refugee woman, and a pair of sisters who run a hotel with something mysterious buried in the garden. It's not the strongest of Spark's novels that I've read, but it is humorous and inventive and kept me reading.

And I read a horror novel set in Tuscany, Diavola. Anna's family book a holiday at a villa in the countryside, where all the generations can be together for two weeks. Anna is dreading it because her parents and sister are always critical of her, and her twin brother is bringing his obnoxious new boyfriend. To add to the tension, the villa feels a little off, with doors that close on their own, scratching sounds, and a tower that locals have told them not to enter under any circumstances. I found the haunting and the conspiracy around it among the locals to be plausible and thus more chilling. The combination of family drama and supernatural events creates a lot of tension, which kept me turning the pages rapidly to find out what would happen.

Now I've started reading What you are looking for is in the library, another Japanese novel about how books can change lives. I have a recent Catalan novel ready to start on my commute tomorrow, When I sing, mountains dance. And I'm reading a Mexican historical fantasy, Vampires of El Norte.

I just read MORE Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, so you have more to come there if you wish!

>114 LyzzyBee: I hope to get my hands on that soon! Until I do, though, I have a few more Japanese and Korean book-themed novels on my kindle.

>113 Sakerfalcon: you hit me with The Book of Love and Diavola.

>116 catzteach: I hope you enjoy them both!

My friend is a special collections librarian and she's been sorting through a collection of correspondence bequeathed to them by one of their eminent lecturers. One of the many people with whom he corresponded was Ursula Le Guin. I thought you'd enjoy this gem that my friend photographed.

>117 Sakerfalcon: I love it!

>117 Sakerfalcon: That's awesome

>117 Sakerfalcon: That's delightful!

>117 Sakerfalcon: Love it!

>117 Sakerfalcon: What a great item to have in the collection.

Oops, you dropped off my radar somehow Claire.

>57 Sakerfalcon: Glad you enjoyed Orbital.

>93 Sakerfalcon: I didn't know your birth date, but mine is 9 May, so very near.

>96 Sakerfalcon: Grrr. My sister had a recent second bout. Glad you are now recovered.

>110 Sakerfalcon: Japan. A place I fear I've left it too late to visit, but had a fascination with since a teenager. Have you seen Wim Wenders' film 'Perfect Day'?

>118 clamairy:, >119 Narilka:, >120 jillmwo:, >121 MrsLee:, >122 Karlstar: Isn't it gorgeous! She's sent me extracts from some of Le Guin's letters too; based on those snippets, someone needs to round them all up and publish them.

>123 Caroline_McElwee: May is a nice month for a birthday. Not too close to Christmas, 2 Bank Holidays, and the weather is usually nice.
I haven't seen Perfect Days yet, but we recently got the DVD at work so I will borrow it. I have to say, public toilets in Japan are excellent!

I've finished a few more books.
What you are looking for is in the library is a sweet, optimistic read. Each of its 5 chapters has a clear message that helps the character change their life for the better, given to them through a seemingly random book recommended by the librarian. Sadly life's problems are rarely solved so easily, but this book is a lovely daydream of how things ought to be.

When I sing mountains dance is an unusual novel which depicts an area of the Pyrenees through the perspectives of its people, flora, fauna, weather and the land itself. The book opens with father Domenec killed by a stroke of lightning, leaving his wife, son and daughter to cope without him. Interwoven with their story are those of their neighbours, ghosts from the Spanish Civil War, rocks, deer, and even mushrooms. This polyphonic novel is fascinating and, not surprisingly, creates a strong sense of place. It's translated from the Catalan.

Vampires of El Norte is an Mexican historical novel with supernatural elements. Unfortunately, from my point of view, the predominant plot strand is a star-crossed lovers romance. The backdrop is the skirmishes between Mexicans and the Yankees who seek to annex their land, with the added threat of vampires. Nestor and Nena were inseparable as children, despite coming from very different social classes. While exploring together one night, they are ambused by a mysterious attacker and Nena is left for dead. Devastated, Nestor leaves the ranch to live as a wandering vaquero. Years later he returns to find that Nena is alive and well - and very angry that he left her all those years ago. Despite Nena being the daughter of a prosperous rancher, expected to maintain a perfect reputation and marry within her class, she is still drawn to Nestor, and when events throw them together for survival, their feelings for each other dominate the story. This took me a long time to read because I found the romance tiresome. The book is very well written and researched, but just too much romance for me. I preferred the author's first novel, The hacienda.

I've also read Holy disorders, a Golden Age mystery featuring Gervase Fen. Fen is an amateur detective with a tendency to the dramatic, a keen wit, and unorthodox methods. I find him amusing but I can see how many readers would be irritated at his quirks. The plot is set around a cathedral and its clergy, a setting which I always enjoy, and all the clues needed to solve the puzzle are given to the reader.

And I've read a Korean YA dystopian novel set in a future where temperatures on Earth have plummeted and the only warm environment is the domed city of Snowglobe, where life among the elite is broadcast 24/7 to the rest of the world. Chobahm longs to be in Snowglobe with her favourite star, Haeri, but when she is given the chance to achieve her dream she finds that the reality is not what she imagined. Of course. One review on here describes the book as "Truman Show meets the Hunger Games" which is pretty accurate. This is not a book to think too hard about. There are so many illogical and impossible aspects to the world building that if you consider them for more than a moment it all falls apart. But the plot is quite compelling and Chobahm is a sympathetic protagonist, so I kept reading. If you like YA dystopias this is quite entertaining and a bit different from the norm.

Now I've started reading Time after time by Molly Keane, which is for this month's Virago group read. Keane's novels are all set among the faded Anglo-Irish gentry and feature dysfunctional families living in crumbling mansions. I've also started Still mad: American women writers and the feminist imagination, which is non-fiction looking at female writers and thinkers from 1950 to the present day. On kindle I'm reading Chlorine, about a Chinese-American girl who only feels herself when she is in the water. She's a champion swimmer, but that's not enough to satisfy her desire for an aquatic existence.

>117 Sakerfalcon: Oh that's wonderful!

>124 Sakerfalcon: Holy Disorders surfaced today in my rummaging about. I want to keep it upstairs as future bedtime reading. Good to know you enjoyed it!!

>125 LyzzyBee: Isn't it great!

>126 jillmwo: I hope you do too when the time comes to read it!

Oh dear, as usual I've left it so long between catch-ups. Lots of books to talk about.

I ended up reading both Time after time and Loving and giving for the Molly Keane group read. The former is about an elderly man and his three sisters who all live in the decrepit family mansion, according to the terms of their mother's will. They all irritate each other and derive pleasure from tormenting each other. Then a figure from their past turns up and takes advantage of the divisions between the siblings to try and further her own agenda. This is darker than some of Keane's other books, but has the same black humour and atmospheric setting. I found Loving and giving to be a sad read. Nicandra longs to love and be loved, but finds little comfort in her family, where she is the only child. So she falls for the first man she meets, and marries him, despite some obvious (to the reader) red flags. As usual, Keane depicts the fall of Anglo-Irish society so well, as the families decline and the stately homes moulder. Nicandra is a fish out of water all her life, and I really felt for her, as well as wanting to shout at her to WAKE UP!!!

Chlorine took a way darker turn than I expected. It's a difficult novel to classify, but I'd call it magical realism with strong notes of horror. The details of swim training that Ren and her teammates undergo border on the abusive, but Ren endures it to spend time in her element, the water. She longs for an entirely aquatic existence, seeing herself as a mermaid, and takes drastic measures to achieve her dream. Fascinating and horrific.

I've also read a graphic memoir, Coma, based on the 18 days the author spent in a medically-induced coma, while her husband prepared himself and their children for the worst. It mixes Zara's hallucinatory visions with the diary her husband kept at the time, and with notes from the nurses who cared for Zara. This was an incredibly moving read, with a great style of illustration, and has been praised by doctors and neurologists for its portrayal of the situation.

On kindle I read a contemporary novel about body image, plastic surgery and social media, Aesthetica. Its two timelines follow Anna at ages 17 and 35, during the rise of her career as an instagram influencer, and after its decline. It shows how an unskilled but ambitious young woman can become a victim of a seemingly glamorous lifestyle, in which she is nothing more than a commodity being used to sell other commodities. It was a tense and disturbing read.

I also read a collection of short stories by Martha Wells, Between worlds, set in her worlds of Ile Rien and Cineth. I had forgotten how much I adore these worlds and characters. The first two stories connect to The element of fire and Death of the necromancer respectively, while the last four are about Ilias and Gileas, predating the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy. I think these are best read after the novels they tie in with, and are perfect for anyone wanting more of this universe. Now I want to reread the novels!

I've also read an Italian novella, Sagittarius, by Natalia Ginzburg. My Italian colleagues recommend her work, and I can see why. The narrator shows us her domineering mother, who loves to organise people's lives and be at the centre of events. She has moved to the city with her older daughter and son-in-law, but soon finds herself at a loose end. She meets a woman of about her own age, and soon becomes drawn into a scheme to open an art gallery with her. There are many warning signs that this is not going to end well, but the narrator can only watch as her mother heads towards disaster. It's very well written (and translated), and conveys the stifling atmosphere of the mother's household very well. I shall be reading more by Ginzburg.

I'm currently continuing to read Still mad, which is a good look at women's thought and writing in the late C20th/early C21st USA. I'm also reading Witch King by Martha Wells and enjoying it a lot. Unlike many of you, I was drawn in quickly, intrigued by the mysterious opening. I'm also reading The cartographers by Peng Shepherd, about a mysterious map that people will go to desperate lengths to claim. It seems to be an ordinary, mass-produced road map but Nell realises there must be more than meets the eye, and has to delve into her family's past to find out why. I'm enjoying it more than I did the author's first book, although Nell is not an especially inspiring protagonist, but am looking forward to seeing where the plot goes. And on kindle I'm reading Giovanni's room, inspired by a conversation on Facebook with jnwelch and kidzdoc

>127 Sakerfalcon: So many good and interesting books!

Chlorine sounds both fascinating and horrific. And I've been meaning to read both Natalia Ginzburg and James Baldwin (as well as so many other things...)

I am glad that you're enjoying Witch King! It grew on me very nicely ;)

>127 Sakerfalcon: I have some of the Ile-Rien books and ought to get to them. In fact, I did start reading one but then realised it was a sequel so I put it down until I acquired the first book. It looks like I've done that - so that's one to read on my Kindle while I'm travelling.

>128 Alexandra_book_life: "Fascinating and horrific" is a great description of Chlorine! I certainly picked an interesting time to read it, during the Olympics! It made me think about what the athletes, especially the young ones, might have gone (and be going) through.

>129 humouress: I love the Ile-Rien books, and I hope you do too! The element of fire and Death of the necromancer can both be read as stand-alones but the next three are very definitely a trilogy.

I've now finished all the books I was reading in my last post!
Still mad was an interesting look at American women's thought and writing from 1950 to the present. Rather than trying to write an exhaustive survey the authors chose representative writers and speakers from each decade to discuss in detail the aspects of feminism and anti-feminism that they espoused. I was pretty familiar with the creative writers discussed (Sylvia Plath, Toni Morrison, Alison Bechdel among others) but I've not read much theory or criticism so it was interesting to get some insight into that. The authors chosen are diverse in terms of race, class and sexuality, and trans rights are also discussed. The book shows how far women have come in the last 70 years, and how far we still have to go.

I enjoyed Witch King but not as much as Wells' other fantasy novels. I was immediately curious as the book opened to find out who Kai was, what had happened to him, and why. And we do find that out, through past and present timelines. I didn't mind being thrown into the action and left to figure things out on my own, I enjoy not being spoon fed or info-dumped at. But I found the action and locations covered in the two timelines to be confusingly similar. When in the present timeline the characters realise they are going to have to go to the location where the past storyline takes place, I felt quite disappointed. There's a big map at the front of the book and we get to explore very little of it. (There is obviously going to be a sequel to this which may cover more ground, but still.) When Kai and co are trekking through underwater halls, I thought "We've been here before and done this already". But I liked Kai himself a lot, and also the supporting characters such as Ziede, Tahren, Dahin, Sanja and Tenes, and the relationships between them. I'm not sure why Kai is the Witch King, when he's neither a witch nor a king; that was odd. But, as always, Wells' prose is a pleasure to read and I will no doubt reread this in future and gain more by focusing on the details.

The cartographers took me a while to read, and I considered DNFing it a couple of times. But I had the feeling that if I did, the bits I'd read would stay in my mind and nag at me until I ended up buying another copy and reading it in the future. And I'm glad I persevered, because the book did pick up and I enjoyed it. Nell's parents were mapmakers, but her mother died when Nell was a toddler and her father was responsible for Nell losing her job at the New York Public Library. Blacklisted from the respectable side of cartography, she ends up working to "age-up" replica maps for home decor. But her father's murder brings her back to the NYPL and to the seemingly ordinary road map that caused her downfall. Suddenly Nell is in danger and she must solve the mystery of the map, her mother's death, and her father's rejection. As Nell tracks down people from her parents' past and learns their stories, a fantastic secret is revealed. I didn't find Nell a particularly engaging protagonist, but the story she uncovers and the people she meets are much more interesting. I'd say the second quarter of the book is slow, and that's where I was tempted to give up. But the rest of the book was very much worth the read. Also, the afterword provides a fascinating insight into the main conceit of the plot!

It's a good thing I wasn't expecting Giovanni's room to be a cheerful read, because it certainly isn't! It is, however, perceptive and poignant, a portrait of desire and reperssion. David is an American in Paris, whose girlfriend has gone off to Spain to ponder their relationship. He meets Giovanni, a "beautiful" bartender, and the two enter a relationship. David has had such encounters in his past, but denies to himself that these desires are anything significant. Giovanni, however, is far more deeply engaged, and open about his sexuality. When Hella returns from Spain, David sees her as a way out from an entanglement he can't deal with. And tragedy ensues. I appreciated Another country a bit more than this; the canvas of that novel is a lot wider and there are multiple plotlines. Giovanni's room, in contrast, is deeper but narrower in focus and more intense. But it's a very powerful, if uncomfortable, read.

Now I've started Mirrored heavens, the third book in Rebecca Roanhorse's Between earth and sky trilogy which is inspired by American Pre-Columbian history and myth. There's no summary to catch up with previous events, so I'm glad Roanhorse didn't make us wait too long between volumes! There's not much point me describing this book, as it will mean nothing if you haven't read the earlier instalments, but here's what I wrote about Black sun, the opening volume We follow Xiala, a ship captain from a siren-like people, Serapio, a blind, scarred young man whom she is hired to transport to the holy city of Tova, Naranpa, the young Sun Priestess who faces opposition within and without her order because of her peasant origins, and Okoa, son of the leader of the Carrion Crow clan. The story takes place in the days leading up to the Conjunction, a time of great religious importance when the sun, moon and earth align. Naranpa is hoping to increase the visibility of the priesthood, which she fears has become irrelevant to the people due to years of indifference towards them. However, she faces treachery from factions who disagree and seek more power of their own. Xiala is on a tight deadline to get Serapio to Tova in order to receive the bonus promised by his sponsor, but she realises that he is no ordinary pilgrim, instead possessing some strange abilities. Serapio has suffered an adolescence of pain and suffering to shape him into the prophesied figure who will restore the power of the Carrion Crow and overcome the Sun. All these plots and more will come together at the Conjunction. I enjoyed following all four of the characters and guessing how their journeys converge as the book progresses. The lands around the Crescent Sea are well-drawn in terms of their culture, religion, food and everyday life, forming a vivid and unusual setting and I appreciated that the author talked about her sources and inspiration in the afterword. So far, this final part is as good as the books that came before it.

On kindle I'm reading Chain gang all-stars, a dark dystopian novel set in a future US where Death Row prisoners can opt to try and win their freedom by signing up to take part in fights-to-the-death for mainstream entertainment. The book shows many of the issues around incarcation, punishment, race, and the industrial prison complex, while telling a gripping story. The main plot strand follows Loretta Thurwar, who is only three fights away from freedom, and the Chain of fighters she has turned into something like a family. In between chapters show other aspects of this system, and those who support it and the movement opposing it. It's a very good read so far.

>130 Sakerfalcon: I agree with much of what you said about Witch King, but I did enjoy it. I haven't read any of her other fantasy novels, and I really need to fix that.

I think I took a bullet on that Black Sun Series. It sounds fascinating.

>131 clamairy: I enjoyed it too, and I think I will get more from it on a reread. If you want to try a stand-alone I recommend City of Bones which is just out in a new edition. Otherwise the Ile-Rien series are wonderful (first book=Musketeers-type era, the rest=gaslight/steampunk ish technology).

I'm really enjoying Mirrored heavens, so far it is living up to the high standards this trilogy has set. The plotlines and characters are complex and nuanced.

I finished Chain-gang All Stars which was a dark and thought-provoking read. It uses a dystopian scenario to examine and question the justice system and its biases, using characters who can be sympathetic and relatable despite their crimes and the violence which is their way of life. It's far from a comfortable read, but very worth trying. I need to read the author's previous book, the short story collection Friday Black.

I forgot to mention a psychological thriller that I read on kindle recently, The turnout. This is set in a ballet school and focuses on the sisters, Dara and Marie, who run it. It's the busiest time of year and preparations for The Nutcracker have begun, with all the stress and jealousy that incurs. A fire in the studio results in major repair work being needed, and Dara and her husband and business partner Charlie are persuaded to hire a popular local contractor, Derek. Marie becomes obsessed with Derek and soon the two are having a torrid affair, threatening the stability of the family and the business. Secrets from the past emerge and passions come to a head, resulting in a shocking death. I chose to read this because of the ballet background, and the insight into the logistics of putting on a big show like Nutcracker were very interesting (where does all that snow come from?). And the author certainly strips away the glamour of ballet, with a focus on the hard work, bullying, and many injuries that result. But as far as plot and characters are concerned, the book is ridiculous. I was constantly thinking "real people just don't behave like that". I said above "a shocking death" but really it's not a shock at all; there's also a twist which just makes the plot unnecessarily complicated and even more absurd. There's a preoccupation with unhealthy sexual behaviour from the past, too, which didn't need to be referenced or described so often. This family is dysfunctional, we get it. In spite of my complaints, I did finish the book though.

I'm currently reading Peace breaks out by Angela Thirkell, who is this month's Virago author. This is not a good place to start with her Barsetshire books as it assumes you remember all the families and who is related to whom and how. But for me it's fun to see what has happened to people, to enjoy the antics of the schoolboys she writes so well, and observe the feud between the Dean's household and followers with the Bishop's palace set. There is snobbery and classism which has unfortunately dated the series, but if you can overlook that it's an amusing look at life among the lesser gentry in mid-C20th England.

>132 Sakerfalcon: I felt much the same way about Witch King. Well written, but not enough backstory or exploration of the world. I don't think I'll get much more out of it on a re-read though. Kai will still be a demon, not a witch and while he's very loyal to his friends, that's about all we know. I wish Ziede had gotten more time.

>124 Sakerfalcon: I like the Gervase Fen books! Holy Disorders is my favourite, along with Love Lies Bleeding. I have them all, should you wish to borrow any when we next meet.

>133 Karlstar: I read your review of Witch King and agreed strongly.

>134 aliphil: I like all the ones I've read. I have a few of them but it's good to know I can borrow the ones I don't have from you!

I finished Peace breaks out which was quite typical Thirkell. I enjoyed catching up with old friends from previous books and following the three romances that weave through the book. In general I think the earlier Barsetshire books are the best though.

Mirrored heavens was a good end to the trilogy, and I'd recommend it. It is quite bloody though, with ritual killings (akin to Aztec human sacrifice) and a lot of assasinations and war. But there is more than just action - the characters learn and grow, the politics is twisty, the religion and culture well-drawn. There are also giant crow companions! I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

I've read a few more books since I last posted.

This month's Virago author is Mary Renault, best known for her retellings of Greek myths, written decades before the current boom in the genre. I read The king must die, which is about Theseus. I have to admit, I expected to endure rather than enjoy this, so was pleasantly surprised to find myself drawn in very quickly. Renault preceded the trend to retell these stories from a feminist/female perspective - Theseus is our first-person narrator - but there are plenty of major female characters and although women are frequently treated as objects (particularly when captured), we also see them having influence and power. I particularly enjoyed the sections in Crete with the bull dancers and how Theseus creates a loyal group. I probably won't read the sequel (this volume ends with Theseus's fateful return to Athens) as I'm not keen on the events in the rest of his story, but I do recommend this.

I read a fun SF novel, You Sexy Thing, which has the found family vibe that I love. Niko Larsen managed to get her team out of military service by representing them as Cultural Artists for their culinary skills. They are trying to make a go of their restaurant on a space station when disaster strikes and they are forced to flee on a sentient bioship. The ship, however, identifies them as thieves and is set on course to a prison planet. However, her commands are overruled and the course changed ... to a notorious pirate haven, where a figure from Niko's past is waiting for revenge. The crew are a mix of various alien and human types with their own strengths and weaknesses. I did find the prose style a bit odd - it is supposed to be omniscient which means it headhops wildly and it can be difficult to work out who is speaking. The book reminded me a bit of the Earthrise series, which I adored. YST suffers by comparison, but is still an enjoyable read.

I've also read 2 non-genre novels, one good and one bad. I was drawn to Trust exercise because it's set in a high school for the performing arts among the students and staff. I like theatre stories, I like books set in academia. But this was just horrible. I hated the characters, I didn't find them believable, everyone was dysfunctional and pretty obnoxious. We follow Sarah and David, aged 14, for the first half of the book, then another viewpoint takes over which reveals that much of what we've just read isn't true, or was skewed. This narrator has a tendency to go off on tangents defining key words that they use, which is really annoying. The book won the National Book Award which makes me wonder what the other contenders were like.

The good novel was Stone Yard Devotional, which is set in a small religious community in Australia. We meet the narrator as she is on her way to spend time with the Sisters, seeking refuge from her life despite her lack of religious belief. Her husband left to go abroad for work, but she had no real intention of following him, and leaves for the convent without telling anyone. She remains an outsider, critical of the community and its ways, and leaves at the end of the first section of the book. But the second part starts some years later as she has become a returned and taken up permanent residence with the Sisters, though still not believing. In a sparse narrative she muses on guilt and grief as memories emerge in the quietness. Then the change of season brings a plague of mice (do NOT read this book if you have a phobia of mice!) and a visitor who has links with the narrator's past. This is a thoughtful book which juxtaposes the narrator's inner life with the mundane squabbles between women, daily chores, and the gruesome task of dealing with the mice. I thought it was excellent.

Now I'm reading A fire born of exile, set in the Vietnamese-inspired "Xuyaverse" of Aliette de Bodard. I've read some of her other series but this is my first in this setting and I'm enjoying it. I've also started The tainted cup by Rober Jackson Bennett and I am happy to say that this is a return to the form of the Divine Cities trilogy after the disappointment that was Foundryside. excellent and intriguing worldbuilding, lots of Jeff Vandermeer-esque creepy plant and fungal life, a nicely contrasted pair of detective protagonists, and no stupid made-up swear words - just what I hoped for! And continuing with convent-themed books, I've started Agatha of Little Neon which opens with a small convent being closed down because the men in the diocese spent all the money (essentially).

>135 Sakerfalcon: Oh, that is good to hear about The Tainted Cup! I felt the same about the Foundryside trilogy. I have TTC on my shelf but am waiting for the rest of the trilogy to be published, (I suffer terribly from GRRM syndrome). Happily, book 2 is now available for pre-order:

  • Amazon.com (April 2025)
  • Blackwell's (Feb 2025)

I have not yet read Roanhorse. Sounds like I need to remedy that sooner as opposed to later.

>135 Sakerfalcon: I went as far as Peace Breaks Out then stopped, and I think I was right.

>133 Karlstar: I'm glad you agree on Witch King. It wasn't terrible, just average. Kai is a decent character but I thought Ziede was a better one and she got very little space.

>136 ScoLgo: Having finished The tainted cup I can confirm that this is indeed a return to form for Bennett. Fortunately he seems to manage to complete his novels in good time without lengthy delays.

>137 LyzzyBee: I own a couple of the later books (one purely because I couldn't resist the lovely hardback with dustjacket when I saw it in Oxfam) so I expect I will read them, but with much lower expectations.

>138 Karlstar: There are a few books where I finish them and think "I wish so-and-so had been the main character" instead of the actual protagonist, or where I like the whole cast of supporting figures better than the main one. This is one of those.

So I finished The tainted cup and it's my first (I think) five star read of the year. I loved the setting with its bioengineering, its fungi and other weird plantlife, the threats from seadwelling leviathans, and the social politics. The main characters are a contrasting pair of investigators - our staid and competent narrator, and his boss, the brillliant and bizarre Ana. It's very much a classic Holmes and Watson type dynamic. The plot is twisty and engaging (if occasionally gruesome), there is a good balance of action with discussion, and although there are a lot of complexities in the world, the information we need is given subtly, not in the massive infodumps that helped to spoil Foundryside. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

A fire born of exile was a good read and a nice introduction to the Xuya Universe. The blend of SF with Vietnamese culture was unusual and effective and made a nice change from the more usual Western nature of the genre. The plot revolves around Quynh (I wish I knew how to pronounce this!) who is seeking vengeance for the devastating betrayal in her past. She draws the Minh, the naive daughter of a high official, and Hoa, an engineer who's trying to repair a damaged mindship, into her plot, as she seeks to bring down two of the most powerful figures in the system. There is a minor romance plotline that could have been omitted; the friendships and other loyalties are enough to drive the story forward and to motivate the characters, IMO. I am intrigued by the mindships, spaceships with humanoid avatars which must be born from a human womb - I'd like to know how those came about and how they actually function. This is clearly a wide and well-drawn universe that I hope to explore more of.

Agatha of Little Neon was a delightful read, thoughtful and satisfying. It follows Agatha and the 3 other sisters with whom she lives, as they are forced to move when their convent is closed down. Their new vocation is to run a halfway house for released prisoners on parole and recovering addicts. However Agatha is asked to fill a vacancy at the local Catholic high school to teach geometry, and she feels herself starting to be excluded from the day-to-day events and gossip of her sisters. Perhaps this is why she starts to question the assumptions and vocation she has always felt. The women and the residents of the house are all well characterised, interesting people to read about, and Agatha is a sympathetic viewpoint character. This is a lovely read, even if you are not interested in religion. It's about a woman finding her voice and accepting change.

My second five star book of the read came along this week. It's a short novel translated from German, Marzahn mon amour. It's about the people of a suburb in former East Berlin, narrated by a middle aged writer who has retrained as a chiropodist and practices in the titular suburb. She tells us the stories of some of her (mostly elderly) clients as she works on their feet, revealing vignettes of life in east Germany before and after the fall of the Berlin wall. It's a quiet book, but I found it incredibly engaging and moving. These people live ordinary lives and would be overlooked, but our narrator is interested in them and brings them to life, making us see their uniqueness. I bought this for our fiction collection at the library where I work, and it's been the surprise hit of the new acquisitions!

My friend lent me Magic for liars, a contemporary fantasy novel set in a magic school from the point of view of a woman without magic. Ivy's twin sister Tabitha discovered her magic at a young age and was sent to a dedicated school in Oregon, while unmagical Ivy stayed at the local High School and later became a PI. Years later, after they've been estranged for some years, Ivy is asked to investigate a death at the school where Tabitha teaches. Ivy's always had poor self-worth and something of an inferiority complex due to her lack of magic, and has mixed feelings about the job. On the other hand, maybe solving her first murder case will elevate her career away from investigating cheating spouses and petty fraud. This is definitely a magic school book for adults - not because of any explicit content (although the murder is gruesome) but because of the downbeat atmosphere; there is none of the sense of wonder of Harry Potter or similar worlds. It's been compared to Lev Grossman's Magicians books. That said, I enjoyed both the investigation plot and Ivy's inner journey as she is forced to face the thoughts and feelings that she's suppressed for years.

I'm currently reading Shards of Glass, which is a spin-off from Michelle Sagara's Elantra series. I gave up reading the main series after about 4 books because I found the heroine incredibly frustrating. I didn't realise this book was connected when I bought it, but it stands alone well and is engaging. It helps that none of the main characters are annoying!

And on kindle I've started When women were dragons, as recommended by Marissa. It is very good so far, I can't stop thinking about it!

>139 Sakerfalcon: According to YouTube, Quynh is pronounced like Quinn.

>139 Sakerfalcon: I believe you may have finally persuaded me that The Tainted Cup is worth a read. Based on the mainstream marketing, I wasn't sure it was quite my "thing". But now I am seriously considering it. (I am also tempted by Agatha of Little Neon.) Score two for you!!!

>140 ScoLgo: Thank you!

>141 jillmwo: I hope you enjoy them both!