Haleth January 28, 2023 Share January 28, 2023 15 hours ago, isalicat said: I just finished the most remarkable, amazing book! If you like very rich (but dark! and adult!) fantasy/sci fi and have not yet read this, please try Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. It is actually from about 20 years ago but I had not heard of it or the author previously. It is hard to describe without spoiling, but let me say that it is set on a world that is distinctly not Earth, yet there are humans, and it is so inventive and dense that I took pauses between sections to ruminate and digest before reading on. Prepare to be amazed!! China Mieville is an incredibly creative writer. Everything I've read of his is completely original, like nothing you've read before. My fav is The City and the City. There is a twist that made my jaw drop. 1 Link to comment
isalicat January 28, 2023 Share January 28, 2023 8 hours ago, Haleth said: China Mieville is an incredibly creative writer. Everything I've read of his is completely original, like nothing you've read before. My fav is The City and the City. There is a twist that made my jaw drop. Thank you! I just ordered a copy and from the description, this is exactly "my cup of tea" as they say. 1 Link to comment
Zella January 28, 2023 Share January 28, 2023 (edited) When I was in grad school, one of the instructors whom I shared an office with loved Mievelle's work and had written about it for her dissertation. I remember thinking he sounded interesting, though I'm not really into science fiction, but I'd forgotten about him until this discussion. I need to check him out. And get back in touch with her to tell her I finally did about 10 years after she told me I needed to read him! As for what I'm reading, I'm on the 8th Penny book, A Beautiful Mystery, which is set in a monastery. I find the premise interesting, but I've had a hard time focusing on the book. I also read Krakauer's Into Thin Air, which I thought was fascinating and really compelling, and am now about 1/4 of the way through his Into the Wild, which I have more mixed feelings about. I think Krakauer's empathy is one of his strong points as a writer, but I have a hard time sympathizing with McCandless, to be honest. I am really irritated with all the times he's referred to as a boy. I don't really have an opinion on his decision to drop out of society or go no contact with his family because people are entitled to make that decision for themselves, but he's not a naive boy. He's a grown-ass man who needed therapy and was pretty dumb if he thought he had a chance of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness with his meager gear. Some of my irritation may be I knew someone when I was younger who was a lot like him and whom I grew increasingly disenchanted with because he was such a fool and pretentious blowhard. Said person once also told me Chris McCandless was his hero, which I'd forgotten about until I started reading the book. Edited January 28, 2023 by Zella 2 Link to comment
isalicat January 28, 2023 Share January 28, 2023 33 minutes ago, Zella said: When I was in grad school, one of the instructors whom I shared an office with loved Mievelle's work and had written about it for her dissertation. I remember thinking he sounded interesting, though I'm not really into science fiction, but I'd forgotten about him until this discussion. I need to check him out. And get back in touch with her to tell her I finally did about 10 years after she told me I needed to read him! Can I just add that although I have only read Perdido Street Station so far, Mievelle is not a science fiction writer, in my opinion. No robots, no spaceships, no time travel and all the technology was far more in the fantasy realm. There were non-humans but the presumption was that they were as native to the planet on which the novel is set as the humans, in my perception. 1 Link to comment
Mittengirl January 28, 2023 Share January 28, 2023 53 minutes ago, Zella said: I also read Krakauer's Into Thin Air, which I thought was fascinating and really compelling, and am now about 1/4 of the way through his Into the Wild, which I have more mixed feelings about. I think Krakauer's empathy is one of his strong points as a writer, but I have a hard time sympathizing with McCandless, to be honest. I am really irritated with all the times he's referred to as a boy. I don't really have an opinion on his decision to drop out of society or go no contact with his family because people are entitled to make that decision for themselves, but he's not a naive boy. He's a grown-ass man who needed therapy and was pretty dumb if he thought he had a chance of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness with his meager gear. Some of my irritation may be I knew someone when I was younger who was a lot like him and whom I grew increasingly disenchanted with because he was such a fool and pretentious blowhard. Said person once also told me Chris McCandless was his hero, which I'd forgotten about until I started reading the book. I agree with you completely regarding Into the Wild. I just can’t see the hero in McCandless. He died because he made a lot of stupid decisions. Why people find this admirable is beyond my comprehension. 3 1 Link to comment
Zella January 29, 2023 Share January 29, 2023 26 minutes ago, Mittengirl said: He died because he made a lot of stupid decisions. Agreed. It frustrated me to no end the number of experienced people who encouraged him to take more with him and whom he pointedly ignored. He could have had the adventure of a lifetime and lived to tell the tale if he hadn't been so stubborn and arrogant. 2 Link to comment
Haleth January 29, 2023 Share January 29, 2023 13 hours ago, isalicat said: Can I just add that although I have only read Perdido Street Station so far, Mievelle is not a science fiction writer, in my opinion. No robots, no spaceships, no time travel and all the technology was far more in the fantasy realm. There were non-humans but the presumption was that they were as native to the planet on which the novel is set as the humans, in my perception. Embassytown has space travel and aliens. Mieville covers a whole bunch of genres. (Another example, UnLunDun could be a children's book.) 1 Link to comment
OtterMommy January 29, 2023 Share January 29, 2023 17 hours ago, Zella said: As for what I'm reading, I'm on the 8th Penny book, A Beautiful Mystery, which is set in a monastery. I find the premise interesting, but I've had a hard time focusing on the book. I really liked this one, but it is different from most of the other Three Pines books. For me, LP is a little hit and miss when she leaves the town of Three Pines and I seem to be a mirror reflection of most people on the hit or miss scale. I know a lot of people where lukewarm on this one, but I loved it. On the other hand, almost everyone I know loved All the Devils are Here (set in Paris), but it was probably my least favorite of the series. 2 Link to comment
Zella January 29, 2023 Share January 29, 2023 8 minutes ago, OtterMommy said: For me, LP is a little hit and miss when she leaves the town of Three Pines and I seem to be a mirror reflection of most people on the hit or miss scale. LOL I am the opposite. I sometimes find the Three Pines crowd a bit much and really enjoy when she leaves them behind. I really loved the book that was set at the lakeside resort, as well as the mystery that was in Quebec City at the library, for that reason. My biggest problem is how Penny keeps setting up the town as some restful haven above the rest of the world, but it just doesn't read that way to me at all. Last night, I did actually get to an intriguing revelation Spoiler (that the monastery had devolved into a rather nasty civil war and power struggle over the future direction) and that did motivate me to want to keep reading more than what I had been reading, so I am looking forward to continuing. 1 Link to comment
Starleigh January 29, 2023 Share January 29, 2023 Thank you to the people who mentioned the Agatha Christie bio by Lucy Worsley. I picked it up from the library based on your recommendations and read it yesterday. It is definitely worth a read, I enjoyed it very much. It also made me want to go back and reread a bunch of her mysteries, especially the Miss Marple ones (Worsley is quite obviously partial to those!). 4 1 Link to comment
sugarbaker design January 30, 2023 Share January 30, 2023 21 hours ago, OtterMommy said: I know a lot of people where lukewarm on this one, but I loved it. Same here. A Beautiful Mystery is near the top of my favorite Three Pines list. 21 hours ago, OtterMommy said: On the other hand, almost everyone I know loved All the Devils are Here (set in Paris), but it was probably my least favorite of the series. Again same here. The only one worse than All The Devils are Here is the awful The Nature of The Beast. 2 Link to comment
babyhouseman January 30, 2023 Share January 30, 2023 I have just found this old mystery series called Southern Sisters by Anne George. It's a mystery in the south with two sisters. It has Southern humor that I adore. It's a little outdated because it was in the 90s, but it's the best light read I've had lately. 2 2 Link to comment
Melgaypet January 30, 2023 Share January 30, 2023 On 1/29/2023 at 12:36 PM, Starleigh said: Thank you to the people who mentioned the Agatha Christie bio by Lucy Worsley. I picked it up from the library based on your recommendations and read it yesterday. It is definitely worth a read, I enjoyed it very much. It also made me want to go back and reread a bunch of her mysteries, especially the Miss Marple ones (Worsley is quite obviously partial to those!). I've been listening to the audiobook and liking it a great deal, so let me add my thanks as well! 3 Link to comment
Crs97 January 31, 2023 Share January 31, 2023 (edited) Glad y’all are enjoying Agatha as much as I did! I have to say I also enjoyed The Appeal. I don’t know if I would say the author stuck the landing, but it was a fun read regardless. Now onto Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill, which is most definitely not fun, but we recently watched She Said so I feel like I should read it. Edited January 31, 2023 by Crs97 3 Link to comment
Zella January 31, 2023 Share January 31, 2023 19 minutes ago, Crs97 said: Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill, It's been a few years since I read them, but I thought both Catch and Kill and She Said were fantastic books. It was really interesting to get the backstory on two different teams of reporters working on the same story. 3 2 Link to comment
EtheltoTillie January 31, 2023 Share January 31, 2023 I am reading Empty, by Susan Burton. I heard her speak on This American Life, and I got the book from the library. It's a memoir about her experience with an eating disorder. It's really interesting. 1 Link to comment
Haleth February 6, 2023 Share February 6, 2023 I'm only 50 pages in so we'll see how it goes, but I'm thoroughly enjoying Ithaca by Claire North. It's about Penelope and her juggling her many suitors while waiting for Odysseus to return. The narrator is Hera, who is snarky and hilariously blunt about all the characters from ancient myths and legends. She tells how it is, disputing how the poets and storytellers chose to portray people and events. Good fun. I finished The Bookwoman's Daughter last week. If you enjoyed the original novel, you will like this too. It's similar and just as charming. 3 Link to comment
Spartan Girl February 7, 2023 Share February 7, 2023 On 2/6/2023 at 7:07 AM, Haleth said: I'm only 50 pages in so we'll see how it goes, but I'm thoroughly enjoying Ithaca by Claire North. It's about Penelope and her juggling her many suitors while waiting for Odysseus to return. The narrator is Hera, who is snarky and hilariously blunt about all the characters from ancient myths and legends. She tells how it is, disputing how the poets and storytellers chose to portray people and events. Good fun. I really liked that one, and I can't wait for the sequel. I know I already posted about Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, but since it officially came out here in the US today, I'll do it again. I'm not going to say I didn't like it, because it was very well-written. However, I just can't really buy Haynes' characterization of Perseus. His heel turn comes too fast and without warning. There is a way to sympathize with Medusa without turning Perseus into the villain. 1 Link to comment
bmasters9 February 8, 2023 Share February 8, 2023 Another in the Murder, She Wrote book series, Manhattans & Murder (have completed 10 of the books to this point, and the series is well on the way to being a staple for me) Link to comment
BlackberryJam February 8, 2023 Share February 8, 2023 (edited) I'm listening to The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, a Chippewa author. (I recognize that I'm not fully cognizant of tribal names, lines, or preferences. I went with Chippewa because it's the one I thought would be most recognizable to the most people.) The author narrates the book and her cadence is lovely. I'm not exactly sure what I'm reading though. The book came up as a library recommendation and I needed something for a long drive and didn't have time to look through a bunch of choices. It started out as sort of a zany crime caper, then turned to some horrific legal abuses followed by mental health and incarceration of women, but now it's a book store being haunted by a Native American wannabe (that's the term the author uses) ghost. The thread throughout the work is books, words, sentences, multiple meanings. I don't know quite where it's going, but I'm enjoying the ride. Edited February 8, 2023 by BlackberryJam 1 1 Link to comment
Ohiopirate02 February 8, 2023 Share February 8, 2023 54 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said: I'm listening to The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, a Chippewa author. (I recognize that I'm not fully cognizant of tribal names, lines, or preferences. I went with Chippewa because it's the one I thought would be most recognizable to the most people.) The author narrates the book and her cadence is lovely. I'm not exactly sure what I'm reading though. The book came up as a library recommendation and I needed something for a long drive and didn't have time to look through a bunch of choices. It started out as sort of a zany crime caper, then turned to some horrific legal abuses followed by mental health and incarceration of women, but now it's a book store being haunted by a Native American wannabe (that's the term the author uses) ghost. The thread throughout the work is books, words, sentences, multiple meanings. I don't know quite where it's going, but I'm enjoying the ride. I loved this book when I read it last year. Only Louise Erdrich can pull off writing herself into the book, and she is also one of the few living writers who can combine past history and current history into a compelling fictional narrative. The last third of the book is something truly special that has lingered since I read it. 2 Link to comment
BlackberryJam February 8, 2023 Share February 8, 2023 14 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said: I loved this book when I read it last year. Only Louise Erdrich can pull off writing herself into the book, and she is also one of the few living writers who can combine past history and current history into a compelling fictional narrative. The last third of the book is something truly special that has lingered since I read it. Thanks for the info. I'm enjoying it and didn't want it to turn into a major disappointment. The writing is lovely. 1 Link to comment
Ohiopirate02 February 8, 2023 Share February 8, 2023 9 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said: Thanks for the info. I'm enjoying it and didn't want it to turn into a major disappointment. The writing is lovely. The ebook is currently on sale for $1.99 and I highly recommend buying it for that price. The end of the book contains an extensive reading list that only a writer and bookseller like Louise can curate. 2 Link to comment
Zella February 8, 2023 Share February 8, 2023 I love Louise Erdrich and will have to check out The Sentence. When I was in college, we read her short story "The Red Convertible" from Love Medicine for a class, and it's stayed with me more than just about any other thing I've read for school. 1 Link to comment
OtterMommy February 9, 2023 Share February 9, 2023 9 hours ago, BlackberryJam said: I'm listening to The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, a Chippewa author. (I recognize that I'm not fully cognizant of tribal names, lines, or preferences. I went with Chippewa because it's the one I thought would be most recognizable to the most people.) The author narrates the book and her cadence is lovely. I'm not exactly sure what I'm reading though. The book came up as a library recommendation and I needed something for a long drive and didn't have time to look through a bunch of choices. It started out as sort of a zany crime caper, then turned to some horrific legal abuses followed by mental health and incarceration of women, but now it's a book store being haunted by a Native American wannabe (that's the term the author uses) ghost. The thread throughout the work is books, words, sentences, multiple meanings. I don't know quite where it's going, but I'm enjoying the ride. This was my favorite book of 2022! I just finished Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Man, now I'm pissed off. Of course, this book should piss you off. It was quite good, although there was a vague romantic subplot that I felt was too much and should have been excised in the editing process. 1 Link to comment
Ceindreadh February 9, 2023 Share February 9, 2023 Just finished 'In defence of witches - why women are still on trial' by Mona Chollet. It's a comparison of how the injustices of the witch hunts of old is reflected in present day misogyny. It is accurate and infuriating, and afterwards I needed a palate cleanser to soothe my inner feminist, so I'm currently reading 'Queen Victoria, demon hunter' by A.E. Moorat, where women at least get to fight back. 3 Link to comment
WendyCR72 February 11, 2023 Share February 11, 2023 Not sure if this is the best thread to post, but I couldn't find something more fitting. I found a link in the Bosch: Legacy forum that, per Deadline, two spinoffs based on Michael Connelly's novels are in the works! One for Jerry Edgar and one for Renée Ballard! Unsure if it will stream on Amazon or Freevee as of yet. Also, apparently, Connelly's next offering will be released in November. With the exception of the last line, I know this is more TV oriented, but they are based on books, so... 1 Link to comment
Haleth February 11, 2023 Share February 11, 2023 I stayed up late to finish Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby van Pelt) last night. What a lovely story! I am completely in love with an octopus. Link to comment
Bookish Jen February 11, 2023 Share February 11, 2023 I'm currently reading "Fabulous Nobodies" by Lee Tulloch. This book was published in 1989, and it's an entertaining look at people trying to get noticed and famous long before social media and reality show cretins like the Kardashians/Jenner's. 2 Link to comment
Melgaypet February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 I just finished Verity, by Colleen Hoover. It was...interesting. I ended up wanting to like it more than I actually did. It had a promising kind of modern-Gothic set up - Sheltered Young Woman goes to isolated house to work for Handsome Man With Tragic Past, but All Is Not As It Seems. I liked the twist ending, but I don't know that the plot really makes a lot of sense. And for all that Gothic set-up, I needed more atmosphere. I didn't expect it to go full Bronte, but something was lacking. I think the biggest issue, though, is that our modern-day Jane Eyre - Lowen - just isn't that interesting, even in her own perspective. 1 Link to comment
Zella February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 I've started A Gentleman in Moscow, and it's very charming, but I've read way too much Soviet history to find the setting particularly accurate. I know the premise wouldn't have worked without being set in Russia, but it would be more believable if it were A Russian Gentleman Living in Poverty in Paris After Fleeing The Country For His Life. 2 Link to comment
Haleth February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 9 hours ago, Zella said: I've started A Gentleman in Moscow, and it's very charming, but I've read way too much Soviet history to find the setting particularly accurate. I know the premise wouldn't have worked without being set in Russia, but it would be more believable if it were A Russian Gentleman Living in Poverty in Paris After Fleeing The Country For His Life. Oh, this is one of my favorites. It's such a beautiful story about finding a purpose. I can't wait to see what Kenneth Branagh Ewan McGregor does with the role. 2 Link to comment
EtheltoTillie February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 On 2/8/2023 at 12:37 PM, Zella said: I love Louise Erdrich and will have to check out The Sentence. When I was in college, we read her short story "The Red Convertible" from Love Medicine for a class, and it's stayed with me more than just about any other thing I've read for school. Wow, I have not been a fan of her writing, but this is high praise. I just downloaded it and will read now. 2 Link to comment
Zella February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 3 hours ago, Haleth said: Oh, this is one of my favorites. It's such a beautiful story about finding a purpose. I can't wait to see what Kenneth Branagh Ewan McGregor does with the role. I'm about 50 pages in and it is super charming. I love his writing style and I find the protagonist very likable. I've had a lot of people recommend it to me over the years quite enthusiastically, and I can see why it's so well liked. But I don't believe for a minute the Soviet Union wouldn't have just put a bullet in the back of his head and been done with it, so I am telling myself this is a kinder, gentler alternative universe it's set in. It's actually making me interested in trying the author's other books that don't have a setting I am quite so familiar with and wouldn't be nitpicking the history relentlessly as I work my way through it. 2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said: Wow, I have not been a fan of her writing, but this is high praise. I just downloaded it and will read now. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, even if it's that the story didn't speak to you in the same way. But I think about it every time I hear about a veteran having trouble adjusting to life back home. :( 1 Link to comment
EtheltoTillie February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 15 hours ago, Zella said: I've started A Gentleman in Moscow, and it's very charming, but I've read way too much Soviet history to find the setting particularly accurate. I know the premise wouldn't have worked without being set in Russia, but it would be more believable if it were A Russian Gentleman Living in Poverty in Paris After Fleeing The Country For His Life. This is another book that I couldn't get into. I may try it again, thought. I loved his newer book, Lincoln Highway. 1 Link to comment
Haleth February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 2 hours ago, Zella said: t's actually making me interested in trying the author's other books that don't have a setting I am quite so familiar with and wouldn't be nitpicking the history relentlessly as I work my way through it. I loved The Lincoln Highway a lot too. Very Steinbeckesque. Rules of Civility is also good. Sort of reminiscent of Gatsby. 2 Link to comment
grommit2 February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 Freezing Order, Bill Browder's story of money laundering, corrupt business folks, duplicitous lawyers, oligarchs...and Putin. This one is a max 5-star story...and it is real. ☺️ 1 Link to comment
Crs97 February 12, 2023 Share February 12, 2023 West with Giraffes: A Novel by Lynda Rutledge. Just starting and not completely sure what it’s about. Will keep you posted. Link to comment
Razzberry February 13, 2023 Share February 13, 2023 The 1851 Irish Emigrant's Guide for the US, written by a couple of Irish-Americans during the great Famine. Fascinating stuff. Includes everything from where to buy your passage, what to pay (1/2 of the listed prices, or about $10. for steerage! Kids under 14 are $5.00) Of course this does not include dining service, mattresses, blankets, dishes, or anything really, except basic food staples that must be cooked yourself and a bucket to wash in. It took about 4-6 weeks to cross the pond. 2 1 Link to comment
Grrarrggh February 14, 2023 Share February 14, 2023 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Especially good if you know a bit of Russian/world history. Or this could be a great gateway drug book to get into Russian history. Link to comment
Zella February 14, 2023 Share February 14, 2023 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said: Especially good if you know a bit of Russian/world history. As someone who knows a lot of Russian history, though, I find the premise super implausible, and it's really distracting me, though I like the book otherwise. I've noticed everyone who recommended it to me IRL is pretty unknowledgeable of the time period and subject, and everyone who didn't like it is hung up on the same things I am from knowing the subject. Edited February 14, 2023 by Zella 1 Link to comment
blackwing February 14, 2023 Share February 14, 2023 I finished the most delightful book called Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. From Goodreads: Quote After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed. This book was refreshingly unusual. It's set in a fantasy world (complete with orcs, elves, dwarves, succubi, halflings, rat people, etc.) but the premise is that the main character is tired of questing and fighting and just wants to retire from adventuring and open a coffee shop. I really enjoyed it. Supposedly a second book is being written in the same world, not sure if it will have the same characters or not. 1 1 1 Link to comment
Melgaypet February 15, 2023 Share February 15, 2023 9 hours ago, blackwing said: This book was refreshingly unusual. It's set in a fantasy world (complete with orcs, elves, dwarves, succubi, halflings, rat people, etc.) but the premise is that the main character is tired of questing and fighting and just wants to retire from adventuring and open a coffee shop. I remember a book I read years ago now that was basically a police procedural set in a fantasy world. I enjoyed it, but didn't go further than the second book (it was a series). Maybe I should pick it up again. I quite enjoyed the main character - who was a half-elf who was not beautiful. In fact, the author made a point of having her ugliness pointed out so much, that I was like, we get it already, she's hideous. It was refreshing, but didn't need to be hammered home so hard. Also, she didn't care that she was ugly, and it didn't stop her from finding lovers when she wanted them. Anyway, what am I currently reading? I went to the bookstore last week and picked up 3 books. Verity, which I've already talked about, and Louise Penny's The Madness of Crowds, which I just finished this morning. I've never read any of the Gamache series before and I don't know that I will again. It's not a bad book, by any means, and the story worked well enough, but I think I'm just not a fan of Penny's prose. Plus, the book annoyed me right off the bat by taking forever and a day to actually explain what was so objectionable about the Asshole Victim of the story. Anyway, I just started the third book I bought, The Appeal, by Janice Hallet. It's an entirely epistolary novel, which I didn't realize when I bought it. (I read the back cover and it sounded like an interesting mystery, plus it and the Penny were on the "Buy One, Get the Second 50% Off" table.) I am excited! I love epistolary stuff! It's set in the modern day (well, 2018, so pre-pandemic) so the "epistles" are emails and text messages. 2 Link to comment
Crs97 February 15, 2023 Share February 15, 2023 51 minutes ago, Melgaypet said: Anyway, I just started the third book I bought, The Appeal, by Janice Hallet. I enjoyed it!! 1 Link to comment
blackwing February 15, 2023 Share February 15, 2023 13 hours ago, Melgaypet said: I remember a book I read years ago now that was basically a police procedural set in a fantasy world. I enjoyed it, but didn't go further than the second book (it was a series). Maybe I should pick it up again. I quite enjoyed the main character - who was a half-elf who was not beautiful. In fact, the author made a point of having her ugliness pointed out so much, that I was like, we get it already, she's hideous. It was refreshing, but didn't need to be hammered home so hard. Also, she didn't care that she was ugly, and it didn't stop her from finding lovers when she wanted them. That sounds interesting, do you happen to remember the title/author? I have long been looking for traditional or cozy mysteries that happen to be set in a fantasy world. The kind of books that seem to be at just about the average cozy length of 300 pages that are fast reads. I really liked the Enchanter General series by the late Canadian fantasy writer Dave Duncan, but would love to find more, especially those that are more cozy-like. I also started the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch (from a recommendation here) about a police constable in a magic-filled world. Only read one so far, but will get back into it. 2 Link to comment
Melgaypet February 15, 2023 Share February 15, 2023 4 hours ago, blackwing said: That sounds interesting, do you happen to remember the title/author? I didn't when I posted yesterday, but I have remembered now! It was Dragon Precinct by Keith R. A. DeCandido. 1 Link to comment
Anduin February 15, 2023 Share February 15, 2023 4 hours ago, blackwing said: I also started the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch (from a recommendation here) about a police constable in a magic-filled world. Only read one so far, but will get back into it. I've read all these except the latest one at least twice, including the short story collection. However, I only have one of the comics. Got to fix that sometime. Link to comment
DearEvette February 15, 2023 Share February 15, 2023 Juliet Marillier's Blackthorn and Grim trilogy is a fantasy/mystery series. The first book, Dreamer's Pool, introduces the two protagonists, Blackthorn is a woman who was imprisoned for attacking the powerful man who killed her family and Grim, a quiet, giant of a man who tried to watch over her while they were in prison. Blackthorn is laser focused on one thing. After one year she will get her day and in court and will seek her revenge on the person responsible for her incarceration. But things don't go as planned. In order to save her life she enters into a strange bargain with an elf lord. The bargain entails her to travel to a far land and take up the role as a Wise Woman. For a period of seven years she must help anyone who asks her. Grim, still in his self appointed task as her guardian, accompanies her. The two of them settle in the principality of Delriada and somehow word gets around that Blackthorn can help you solve a difficult problem. In this first book Blackthorn and Grim become embroiled in solving two mysteries both Fey and mundane. The start of the book is pretty dark with the scenes of the two in prison which is rather a vile place, but that only lasts about a chapter or two. The rest is very much high fantasy/mystery. 1 1 2 Link to comment
Rushmoras February 16, 2023 Share February 16, 2023 Well, finished-up S. King's Pet Sematary today. Was allright, I guess. Still, did not like the forshadowings in it. Link to comment
EtheltoTillie February 16, 2023 Share February 16, 2023 On 2/12/2023 at 11:46 AM, Zella said: I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, even if it's that the story didn't speak to you in the same way. But I think about it every time I hear about a veteran having trouble adjusting to life back home. :( I read the story and really liked it. It's a very moving story. Fate is a strange thing. 1 Link to comment
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