Humouress sets ROOTs for 2024

Happy New Year everyone!

Last year was a very busy one for our household; we did some travelling and undertook a major renovation of part of the house. It started off with the kitchen and overflowed from there. It's still petering to a close and maybe I'll use some of my cookbooks and experiment in the new kitchen. My reading wasn't as prolific but I really need to read more books of my own. I did get a 'new' library so I should take advantage of that; I've handled most of my books as they came back from storage and went into their new home, which made me want to stop what I was doing and read them instead. So this looks like the perfect time to do that!

My current thread layout:

>2 humouress: tickers (for total reads in the year, total ROOTs re-read in the year;
    total e-ROOTs read in the year + total physical ROOTs read in the year = total ROOTs read this year)

>3 humouress: ROOTs read this year (by type)

>4 humouress: constellation

>5 humouress: 4th quarter ROOTs
>6 humouress: 3rd quarter ROOTs
>7 humouress: 2nd quarter ROOTs
>8 humouress: 1st quarter ROOTs

>9 humouress: Alphabetical ROOTs
>10 humouress: Acquisitions for the year

>11 humouress: just in case

>12 humouress: Welcome in!

📚 75 book group, thread 1: Humouress's new domain for 2024 - first thread
thread 2: https://www.librarything.com/topic/359737
🐉 Green Dragon Humouress drops by in 2024

Past ROOT threads:
ROOTs 2022 thread
ROOTs 2021 thread
ROOTs 2020 thread

I didn't join the ROOTs group last year because life was so hectic and my (physical) books were in storage for the majority of the year but I still managed to read about 13 of my own books out of 61 read for 2023.

2 - tickers

Setting a ROOT goal for 2024 of 25 books. It worked 2 years ago - let's try it again (although, really, I should be trying for more than 1/3 of my total target - but book bullets. And library books ...).

  Total books read for 2022 (goal = 75)




01.06.2024

  Total ROOTs re-read in 2022 (goal = 12)



  Total e-ROOTs read in 2022 (goal = 5)



  Total physical ROOTs read in 2022 (goal = 20)


  Total ROOTs read for 2022 (goal = 25)



Message 49 on ROOTs Ticker thread

  = physical book
   = e-book (Kindle)
     = e-book
      = re-read
  = LTER

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April

March
 ROOT 06: Guidal: Discovering Puracordis by Roxy Eloise
 ROOT 05: Off Season by Clive Fleury (2024)
     ROOT 04: Paragon Lost by Dave Duncan (2002)

February
(no ROOTs read in February)

January
     ROOT 03: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
  ROOT 02: The High King's Tomb by Kirsten Britain (2007)
     ROOT 01: Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith (2010)

Total ROOTs read in 2024 (to beginning of January)

06   - all formats
04   - physical books
02   - e-books  

Of which:
01   - re-reads
02   - Library Thing Early Reviewer

(Message 49 on ticker thread)

The constellation:

  You have got to read this one!                           
  Really good; worth reading                                 
     Good, but without that special 'something' for me   
      Very nice, but a few issues                                    
         An enjoyable book                                                   
         Um, okay. Has some redeeming qualities                   
              Writing is hard. I appreciate the work the author did    
             (haven't met one - yet)                                              
                  Dire                                                                            
                  Rated only as a warning. Run away. Don't stop.              

Purple stars, from Robin's thread:

5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5

4th quarter

(covers)

review posted/ rated/ written/ read

✔ / / (#) / Title

December

November

October

3rd quarter

(covers)

review posted/ rated/ written/ read

✔ / / (#) / Title

September

August

July

2nd quarter

(covers)

review posted/ rated/ written/ read

✔ / / (#) / Title

June

May

April

1st quarter

March

21. 20.

January

10. 8. 1.

review posted/ rated/ written/ read

✔ / / (#) / Title

March

February

no ROOTs for February

January

✔     10) Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater (2020)
✔     08) The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain (2007)
✔  01) Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith (2010)

Oh yes; I decided I would try to read books off my shelf alphabetically by author. If I can do two a month I should get through the alphabet by the end of the year ie A and B in January; C and D in February and so on. Of course there are some letters (like Q and X) that I don't have any authors for but it's just an experimental idea at this point.

A = Atwater, Olivia - Half a Soul : January
B = Britain, Kristen - The High King's Tomb : January (re-read)
C
D = Duncan, Dave - Paragon Lost : March
E = Eloise, Roxy - Guidal: Discovering Puracordis : March
F = Fleury, Clive - Off Season : March
G = Goddard, Victoria - Stargazy Pie : April
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

... but: Acquisitions for the year



Ordered at the end of last year and delivered this month:
1- Penric's Labors
2- The Time of the Dark (Darwath Trilogy, Book 1)
3- The Walls of Air (Darwath Trilogy, Book 2)
4- The Armies of Daylight (Darwath Trilogy, Book 3)
5- Deathless Gods (Kencyrath)
6- Furysong (THE AURELIAN CYCLE)
7- Moonshine

Can't Hurt Me : Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - Clean Edition (requested by my son)
The Detective : The addictive, edge-of-your-seat mystery and Sunday Times crime book of the year (requested by my husband; pre-ordered which delayed the delivery)
Le Secret de la Licorne - a Tintin book in French to (hopefully) help my younger son with language.

And I did get gifted a book on orchids by my mum but that was for Christmas, so it counts as last year.

March
8- Lord Valentine's Castle (Book 1)  
9- Off Season : LT/ER  
10- Stars Beyond Realms : LT/ER  

May
11- Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase: Book 1 (Lockwood & Co., 1)
12- Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull: Book 2
13- Lockwood & Co: The Hollow Boy: Book 3 (Lockwood & Co., 3)
14- Lockwood & Co: The Creeping Shadow
15- The Empty Grave - Lockwood & Co Series Book 5
16- Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow Series, 1)
17- Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow Series, 2)

11

Welcome in!



For once, we had a quiet New Year's Eve at home, together with my parents who were visiting from Down Under. And to complete the family, we video called my sister and put it up on the huge screen in the boy-cave and played a team board game. So this is a photo of our Christmas tree, presented by Jasper (before he tried to eat his hat).

Wishing everyone joy, good health and happiness for 2024!



Let the reading commence.

Just peeping around the corner. Hi, Welcome to the ROOTers.

Welcome back!

Good to see you! Hope this is a great reading year for you.

Thanks all! Life is still busy and I'm still setting up shop, both here and in the 75ers. I'll be back to do the rounds and finish filling in my posts.

>12 humouress:. Jasper is a darling dog, especially with the hat!

Welcome back and have a great reading year!

Welcome back and happy reading!

>17 connie53: Thanks Connie. I don’t think he’s such a fan of the hat, however :0)

>18 rabbitprincess: Thank you Princess.

>19 MissWatson: Thank you Birgit.

1) Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

{first in Dobrenica trilogy; fantasy, Zenda, Ruritanian romance, adventure}(2010)



I like Smith’s Sartorias-deles series (starting with the Inda tetralogy) and Roni recommended this series to me. I recently re-read Prisoner of Zenda 💔and I really enjoyed Smith’s Crown & Court. I was in the mood for a fantasy with a (clean) romance so this is my first pick for the year.

Aurelia (named after her grandmother) Kim Murray - known as Kim - from Los Angeles has made a trip to Europe on a tight budget to try to solve the family mystery of where her mum and grandmother originally came from. While there she is kidnapped, having been mistaken for a missing duchess (also named Aurelia, though she prefers to be called Ruli) and consequently finds answers to her questions - which just lead to more questions. So she travels to the tiny, oft-overlooked kingdom of Dobrenica (where the missing Ruli hails from) to look for more answers and inadvertently becomes embroiled in their politics which leads to more adventures.

This is a modern day Ruritanian romance, but with a touch of fantasy, very much based on Prisoner of Zenda which book Smith mentions several times in her story, down to the nickname of the missing royalty: Ruli instead of Rudy. There were a couple of spots where I thought Kim jumped to a conclusion too fast, or maybe we just weren’t on the same wavelength, but that was a passing niggle.

While it may not be quite as rollicking as Prisoner of Zenda it still has plenty of swash and buckle, especially for a contemporary novel; Kim is an accomplished dancer and fencer (she has had to abandon her university team's fencing competition for her trip). The ending felt a bit abrupt but it is the first in trilogy and - because I had read the synopsises of the next two books - I was anticipating the twist.

So, if you haven’t read the synopses for the other books yet, then don’t.

I am looking forward to reading the sequels. (I just hope there's no Rupert of Hentzau plot waiting for me, though Tony (the character based on Rupert) is still lurking in the wings.)

January 2024
4.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

I like Smith’s Sartorias-deles series and was recommended this series. I recently read ‘Prisoner of Zenda’ 💔and I really enjoyed Smith’s ‘Crown & Court’. I’m I the mood for a fantasy with a (clean) romance so this is my first pick for the year. Nearly halfway through and enjoying it.
Kim is in Europe trying to solve the family mystery of where her mum and gran came from. She’s mistaken for missing royalty and finds answers - and more questions

Very much based (and acknowledged) on ‘P of Z’, down to the nickname of the missing royalty: Ruli (short for Aurelia) instead of Rudy

ROOT 2:

8) The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain

{Third of 7+ in Green Rider series; fantasy, adventure, magic, re-read}(2007)



It's been over a decade since I read this and I wanted to get back to the series so I re-read this book; but it's been even longer since I re-read the first two books so I was a little lost at the beginning (as to why Karigan is sad and angry, for example) but I soon got back into the swing of things.

This starts (I vaguely recall) soon after the ending of the previous book. Karigan is now fully committed to being a Green Rider and has temporarily averted disaster for Sacoridia but no-one is certain how long that will last - and so the Green Riders and the king's advisors have to build their pitifully small defences without the benefit of magic knowledge which their ancestors had. Alton is at the Wall that holds back Blackveil Forest and struggling with his own magic but the D'Yer Wall is starting to fail so it is a race against time to rediscover the magic which was used to create it and shore up the wall before it is needed to hold back the forces of evil. The Wall guardians are annoyingly quirky and do things in their own time. Lady Estora is following her duty and is betrothed but has few real friends at court and wonders what the future holds in store for her. She meets a distant cousin of the king, named Amberhill, who has his own notions of honour. And King Zachary continues to be enigmatic though we do catch a brief glimpse of the man behind the mask, through Captain Mapstone's eyes:

She looked fondly upon Zachary who, when he was a boy, was like a little brother to her. Now he was a man full grown who had truly come into his kingship, every inch of him, his expression grave and his chin set.

The mysterious elves make an appearance and seem ready to discuss an alliance with the human Sacoridians, as well as providing a prophecy:

He simply spoke: "Ari-matiel Jametari says, 'The golden lady shall find safety only in green. A time shall come when black shrouds green, and among the dead a voice shall speak of stone.' "

The enemies of Sacoridia are delving into the secret of Green Rider magic. And a sinister character known as Grandmother is using dark magic to call together the descendants of Second Empire and bring Mornhavon the Black back.

After all her supernatural adventures Karigan is glad to be given a normal mission delivering messages on the other side of the country from Sacor city - even though she also has to take along a young Rider trainee whose attitudes to horses is less than ideal. Of course she and Fergal have adventures on the way as she gets a chance to revisit her old school (from the first book) and see old friends and go on to meet the family who train Rider horses.

But magic is not done with her yet.

I would really like to have had a map in this book as Karigan's and her friends' adventures take them all over the country. I liked seeing points of view other than Karigan's in this book. It sometimes seems that everything hinges on her, so it's good to see that other people also have an important part to play. There are quite a few threads running through this story, seen from different people's perspectives (and not all are Karigan's allies) and told concurrently which help keep the narrative flowing. I'll admit that I wasn't so keen on the love triangle (or should that be quadrangle?) and I was a bit disappointed with Karigan's behaviour towards Estora - although it does highlight the fact that she's as flawed a being as the rest of us humans.

I'm looking forward to continuing with the series - hopefully before I forget the details again. There's enough action and mystery behind the magic to keep the story flowing and a lot happens although we're still a bit in limbo by the end of the book with regards to the overarching story of how to deal with Mornhavon if and when he returns.

(January 2024)

Review posted in 2011
Karigan G'ladheon, heroine of the first two Green Rider novels, is off on another adventure. Although Sacoridia is celebrating the betrothal of King Zachary, and enjoying a temporary reprieve from the threat of Mornhavon the Black, unbeknown to them, a new threat is growing. The hidden descendants of Mornhavon's supporters are gathering to strike. Meanwhile, the D'Yer Wall, built to contain Mornhavon, is failing. Karigan, sent on an extended Rider mission, finds herself racing to save the kingdom once again, and in so doing, learns more about Rider magic and the royal tombs below the castle.

I like this series. Although I hit a slow spot in this book, about a third of the way in, it became a page-turner again, and I'm looking forward to reading the fourth book.

(May 2011)
3.5 stars stars

Litsy notes & quotes

It‘s been over a decade since I read this and I wanted to get back to the series so I‘m re-reading. But it‘s been even longer since I re-read the 1st 2 books so I‘m a little lost at the beginning (why Karigan is sad and angry for example). I‘m sure it‘ll come back to me as I go along.

I like seeing POVs other than Karigan‘s (Alton, Lady Estora). It sometimes seems that everything hinges on her, so it‘s good to see that other people also have a part to play.

ROOT 3 :

10) Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

{First of 3 (+2 novellas) Regency Faery Tales; fantasy, Regency, parallel world, sorcery}(2020)



As a child, Dora's soul was claimed by Lord Hollowvale but her cousin Vanessa saved her before he could take all of it by plunging her embroidery scissors into his leg, since faery beings cannot abide the touch of iron.

Lord Hollowvale jerked back from the scissors. Fear briefly clouded his face as he glanced down at them—a strange circumstance, since the scissors were only a little bigger than Vanessa's little fist, and their eyes were decorated with cheerful little roses. Vanessa drew Dora slowly around the faerie and back towards the manor, keeping her scissors squarely between herself and the marquess.
"As you wish, niece of Georgina Ettings," the elf spat finally. "I have full half of my payment. May you make good use of the other!"

Since then, Dora (Theodora Ettings) has always worn the scissors around her neck as protection against him returning to steal the other half of her soul but she has been unable to feel any deep emotions and knows that she doesn't react like normal people. Her aunt (Dora is an orphan) seems constantly exasperated by Dora's lack of emotion and her inappropriate responses; essentially, Dora has no filter and says what she's thinking out loud.

Now in danger of becoming spinsters at the grand old ages of 20 and 19, the cousins travel to London for the Season - where the Lord Sorcier, Elias Wilder, is also to be found as well as his friend Albert Lowe, a physician who happens to be the third son of Lord and Lady Carroway. Vanessa feels that the Lord Sorcier might be able to help Dora with her magical problem. And Dora might discover that she can feel emotions, even with only half a soul.

Though they are members of the nobility both Wilder and Lowe engage in charitable work, specifically trying to cure a magical plague affecting the labour classes in London. Atwater shows us a lower tier of society from those we usually see in Regency novels - though I don't know enough to attest to the accuracy or lack thereof of the workhouses and so on that she describes, myself. The medical angle was interesting and unusual and I did like the way all the loose ends were neatly tied up. I'm getting used to seeing discrepancies in small details of the manners of the period and the country in novels written now but set then (hardly a new gripe for me) but this is a parallel England where magic is used for the benefit of the nation - so it's easy to turn a blind eye in this instance.

I liked this gentle story though I did feel a bit like Dora; muffled in cotton and a little distant from emotions. I wondered, as I read, if the author wanted us to feel that Dora is on the spectrum (to coin a phrase) though that angle wasn't expanded on. It was nice to see things working out well for her in the end - because who doesn't like a Faery Tale to end happily ever after?

(January 2024)
3.5-4 stars

I'm also doing a jigsaw puzzle with my teens (so it's going slowly, since I've got to wait for them to be in the mood). This is as far as we've got so far, though it's only got 200+ pieces:



It's laser cut, so it's full of swirls and there are some pieces (up in the top left) cut in the shapes of animals.

That is a cool jigsaw. I made one to with the animal shaped pieces. And now I'm in to smart-cut jigsaws with 1000 pieces. Not one piece is the same shape.

>27 connie53: Thanks Connie. I was worried that this one would be too easy, with only around 200 pieces!

I had one a few weeks ago with 1000 pieces that took me a week at least to solve on my own.

>29 connie53: Well, there are a lot of white pieces in it. One week isn't bad for that. Cute images.

19) Paragon Lost

20) Off Season by Clive Fleury

{first in Detective Ryan series; crime, gangsters, Sydney, detective, LTER} (2024)

  

I received this e-book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. To be honest, crime isn't my preferred genre; I requested it because I have family in Australia and because I was curious about the lead character, detective Ramesh Ryan.

The story is set in 2021 (though it was published 2024). Ryan is a high-flying Sydney detective - until he loses a guaranteed-win high profile case against a drug king-pin and is asked to temporarily move to the Central Coast town of Barton, several hours' drive north of Sydney, 'for his safety'. Coincidentally at the same time a drug shipment is mishandled just off the coast from Sydney and then bodies start turning up in Barton just after Ryan arrives there. Plus there's a fifteen year old mystery to be solved. The title 'Off Season' is because Barton thrives off the tourist trade in the summer but the story takes place during the off season when only the local residents are in town.

I thought the writing was decent enough, the plotting was good and the action flowed well. I found it easy to put down but easy to pick up again (though it took me a bit longer to read than I was initially expecting, looking at my e-reader page count) and I liked the little continuity links between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next (maybe the author's screenplay experience coming through?). I thought the seaside town was depicted well (Ryan's partial ethnicity is noticed) though I couldn't say either way how accurate the portrayal of gangsters in Sydney is.

However, the book could have done with better editing. Towards the beginning of the book there were several random, awkward exclamation marks! And though the story was told from the third person point of view, I noticed one chapter where it switched from the attacker to the victim within the same scene which was disorienting. There were many examples of odd or wrong word choices (four is a number, not a letter; 'revelry' is not the same as 'reverie'; I'm not quite sure what a 'blood wrenching cry' is and so on) which jarred me out of the story whenever I came across them and sentences were often quite short which chopped up the flow of the narrative. There were a few brand names scattered through; three or four specific ones cropped up frequently which had me wondering if they sponsored the book.

I do find it a bit hard to believe that a silver medalist Olympian (not Olympiad) from the last games could go missing without it being noticed (not a spoiler; this happens at the beginning of the story). And while I appreciate that this was a crime novel, there was the odd gruesome bit (such as a victim's face being smashed by a propeller) which felt added in just to try to make it more gritty; they cropped up very occasionally and felt out of place. Either do gruesome all the way - which would be a different type of book - or (my personal preference) don't make it gratuitously gory at all.

These were all small issues but distracted from the story.

Overall, a decent book with a lot going on.

(March 2024)
3-3.25 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

ER from LT. Picked it because I have family in Oz and for the lead character‘s name, detective Ramesh Ryan. About 1/6 in. Decent writing, could use some editing (eg reverie not revelry, letter 4, blood wrenching cry) and polish - and fewer random exclamation marks! POV is 3rd person but can suddenly switch between people which disrupts the narrative flow.

1/3 in. There's the odd gruesome bit (eg victim's face being smashed by propeller) which feels added in to try to make it more gritty. Either do gruesome all the way - which would be a different type of book - or (my personal preference) don't make it gory at all.
A character called F. has just been introduced. Not sure yet if it's their name (there are lots of weird 'gang-type' names) or a clumsy attempt to obscure their identity.

I'm appreciating the continuity between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. And the random exclamation marks seem to have disappeared but there are a few brand names scattered around. Sentences tend to be a bit short which chops up the flow.
Easy to put down but easy to pick up again. Good plotting.
Fair number of words used wrongly. No idea how accurate the portrayal of gangsters in Sydney is.

Ramesh Ryan is a high-flying Sydney detective until he loses a sure-fire front page news case against a drug king-pin and is asked to move to the Central Coast town of Barton for his health. Coincidentally a drug shipment is mishandled and bodies start turning up in droves just after Ryan arrives. Plus there's a 15 year old mystery tangled in. (set in 2021, published 2024)

21) The Guidal: Discovering Puracordis by Roxy Eloise

{First in The Guidal series; future, young adult, YA, magic, LTER}(2021)

  

I received this as an Early Reviewer book a while ago and decided to read it now but I jumped in without re-reading the blurb (although in hindsight, like the majority of blurbs, it's rather florid and not completely accurate) so I was a bit lost at the beginning.

The year is 2119 and Aurora lives in the Boulderfell institute inside a glass dome in the city of Vencen. We meet her, and then spend over a year with her, when she has just turned sixteen and is moving from the Mustard section (the children's section) to the Navy section where she will become a Young Enforcer until she leaves after another thirteen years. One of the Youngens' duties is to patrol the city just before sunset and ensure that all citizens are off the streets.

Pax and I wandered the streets in a careless daydream. I was so thankful Pax enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, too. We would often stroll along together in silence. The city, Vencen, was built of mostly glass and steel, each building an architectural masterpiece. I could spend all day admiring the impressive works of art. Once content with the breathtaking, man-made structures, we would find ourselves in the woods encircling the city outskirts. Being immersed in natural beauty was such a rare feast.
The sunlight blinked through the myriad of fluttering leaves, making a spectacle of the brilliant-green ferns below. A few moments later, shadows crept in. The sun was setting, so we re-entered the city, seeking the remainder of light. Walking in the middle of a deserted road, Pax began to speak. "I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Bricks-'n-Mortar Men. They didn't have intelligent, pico-processing roadways."

Narrated in the first person from Aurora's point of view the story starts with a dream/ memory of the time she was captured as a toddler and brought to the institute where she now lives - but she sees it from someone else's perspective. There is a hint that there is hidden magic in this world - Aurora's first class is a history class about witchcraft and 'maleficium' last being known in 1684. Magic is obviously to be abhorred and has been stamped out.

When she moves to the Navies, we find out that first Years have to do a Unity Assessment and then at the beginning of each year the system checks if any pairs 'match'. If anyone does (and it can be during any year, and with someone from any year group) then they are betrothed and do their duties together (and, if they want, they can also book in for classes together) and when they leave the institute they will get married first (but not before then). They are given bedrooms with interconnecting doors - but they are not allowed to sleep together on penalty of being imprisoned for thirty years, which was odd. Of course, Aurora matches.

I thought the overall story had an interesting concept but Aurora doesn't seem to do much during her day - and she inevitably does something (like being injured or punished) which ends up with her being excused from duties so she ends up doing even less. She seems to earn punishments easily, sometimes randomly, and there were sections where I didn't understand her reactions. Seioh (CEO?) Jensen, who heads the Institute, hands her some harsh and unnecessary-seeming punishments and she always dreads being called to his office - but (puzzlingly) at one point when she's very upset and doesn't know where to go or what to do she finds herself going to his office and zoning out for the day on his couch. And he ignores her and just carries on with his work.

She makes friends and enemies in her new section - including some of Seioh Boulderfell's children - and her friend group is good (oddly, she only seems to have known one of them before) but it would have been nice to see more/ stronger interactions with them and maybe a few more details of her day to day life to give the story some substance. We don't find out much about this world (which may or may not be a future version of our Earth) or even about the city or life outside the institute - in fact we only leave the institute with Aurora a couple of times - so the world view is vague and we don't even know how much power Boulderfell holds outside the institute. But this could be intentional at this point in the series.

I liked the story though I felt that the pacing could do with some polishing and tightening up. There were times that the narrative lagged for me, when Aurora seemed a bit childish and places where things were left unexplained or it jumped between events, leaving gaps, which had me feeling a bit lost and disgruntled. I found the endearments certain people used for Aurora ('my little Roar', 'Little Lady') awkwardly patronising. The story is similar to Fourth Wing (young people training in a martial institute, making friends and enemies, but the people in power are keeping secrets as to why things are done the way they are) but without the dragons and the explicitness; despite its loose cohesion I liked this book better.

And then it ends just when magic makes an appearance and it starts to really get interesting! I wish I had the next book to see where this goes.

(March 2024)
3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Told from 1st person POV. Aurora has a memory from someone else‘s pov of when she was captured as a toddler. 1/3 of the way in. Starts off well but now is losing its polish; things are left unexplained, it‘s started jumping between events leaving gaps and the tone is a bit young.
In 2119 she lives in a domed institute where they train to be Young Enforcers of sunset curfew in the city of Vencen. Magic is abhored & has been stamped out

At 16 she‘s just moved to the adult section. Some of them are betrothed so they get interconnected rooms and are paired for duties and marry when they leave at 30 but if they do anything before that they‘re sent to prison for 30 years and any baby is taken by the institute

It‘s a lot like ‘Fourth Wing‘ but without the dragons or (thankfully) the explicitness. Ch 10; starting to get intriguing

Aagh! Ends just as it gets going. Wish I had the next book to see where it goes.

Pax and I wandered the streets in a careless daydream. I was so thankful Pax enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, too. We would often stroll along together in silence. The city, Vencen, was built of mostly glass and steel, each building an architectural masterpiece. I could spend all day admiring the impressive works of art. Once content with the breathtaking, man-made structures, we would find ourselves in the woods encircling the city outskirts. Being immersed in natural beauty was such a rare feast.
The sunlight blinked through the myriad of fluttering leaves, making a spectacle of the brilliant-green ferns below. A few moments later, shadows crept in. The sun was setting, so we re-entered the city, seeking the remainder of light. Walking in the middle of a deserted road, Pax began to speak. "I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Bricks-'n-Mortar Men. They didn't have intelligent, pico-processing roadways."

Wow, that's a very elaborate review. Very impressive.

>34 connie53: Thanks 😊

I review ER books the same way as all the others (but it always depends on my mood at the time) but if there's some helpful feedback I add it in, just in case. Though I should probably aim to review them a lot sooner ;0)

I can see you are much more experienced in writing reviews than I am.

>36 connie53: It's been my ambition to review all the books I read from my own shelves, so I can easily see what I've read (because I keep them even after reading) and I can look back to see what I thought of a book (especially useful if it's a long time between books in a series being released). So I do try to review what I read (though I don't always write something while I still remember the book - too busy going on to read the next one), including library books.

Looking back at my earlier reviews, I suspect that they're getting longer as time goes on :0)

I always write a review when I finished a book. When things are still fresh in my mind. And I, too, look back at the reviews I wrote when starting a new book in a series. I know some friends of mine wait for a series to be finished and then they read all the books in a short period. But I can't do that. I like to read a book by favourite authors at once. And since my English reading is improving I don't have to wait on translations anymore.

You kindly indicated that I planned to read In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen for Roselita. I tried to update it to show that I'm reading it, and made a mess of it. Would you please correct it to show that it is being read.

Thanks.

>39 sallylou61: I had a look and it's not a big mess; you've just got 'bold text' in bold instead of the icon. Next time, just copy the icon (I've put them at the top of each section) and paste it instead of the asterisk, or copy it across from your text messaging app (which is what I often do).

Unfortunately the wiki isn't saving for me at the moment so I'll try again later - unless you can do it?

>39 sallylou61: Done now.

Read for the rosalita memorial (not counted towards my total)

30) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

 

based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd

{stand alone; fantasy, magical realism, young adult, grief, dealing with illness, family}

Siobhan Dowd was an award winning children's author who died from breast cancer in 2007. She had the idea for this book, of a young boy with a mother very ill with cancer but did not get to write it before she died. Ness was asked to write the book, based on her idea. Reading it felt especially poignant knowing this background.

This book was heart-wrenching and so well written, but I don't know if I could read it again. It is told (in the third person) from the point of view of thirteen year old Connor O'Malley - an ordinary, decent boy, easy to identify with - whose mother is very sick. She has been through a few rounds of treatment, obviously for cancer, but the current round doesn't seem to be helping as well as it should. Connor's dad is out of the picture, having remarried and moved to America and his mum's mum is a no-nonsense sort of person whom Connor doesn't get on with at all (though we can see she does care about him). Meanwhile, Connor feels ostracised at school because everyone found out that his mum is sick and they walk on eggshells around him - except for Harry and his followers who constantly bully Connor.

But that's not the worst of it. Connor has a recurring nightmare, of darkness and hands slipping from his grasp which has him waking screaming in terror. So when the yew tree at the top of the hill that his mother always gazes at turns into a monster and breaks into his room, Connor isn't scared (which bewilders the monster a bit).

The monster's eyes widened. Who am I? it said, its voice getting louder. Who am I?
The monster seemed to grow before Conor's eyes, getting taller and broader. A sudden, hard wind swirled up around them, and the monster spread its arms out wide, so wide they seemed to reach to opposite horizons, so wide they seemed big enough to encompass the world.
I have had as many names as there are years to time itself! roared the monster. I am Herne the Hunter! I am Cernunnos! I am the eternal Green Man!
A great arm swung down and snatched Conor up in it, lifting him high in the air, the wind whirling around them, making the monster's leafy skin wave angrily.
Who am I? the monster repeated, still roaring. I am the spine that the mountains hang upon! I am the tears that the rivers cry! I am the lungs that breathe the wind! I am the wolf that kills the stag, the hawk that kills the mouse, the spider that kills the fly! I am the stag, the mouse and the fly that are eaten! I am the snake of the world devouring its tail! I am everything untamed and untameable! It brought Conor up close to its eye. I am this wild earth, come for you, Conor O'Malley.
"You look like a tree," Conor said.
The monster squeezed him until he cried out.
I do not often come walking, boy, the monster said, only for matters of life and death. I expect to be listened to.
The monster loosened its grip and Conor could breathe again. "So what do you want with me?" Conor asked.
The monster gave an evil grin. The wind died down and a quiet fell. At last , said the monster. To the matter at hand. The reason I have come walking.

When is a monster not a monster?

The monster will tell Connor three stories and the fourth, well the fourth one will have to come from Connor and will be the story of his nightmare. And so we live Connor's life with him, at home, with his mum, at school, at night with the yew tree monster and even at the hospital.

Short and bitter-sweet. Beautifully written. I'm still dabbing at tears as I write this (and I never cry, I'll have you know).

Wikipedia tells me this was turned into a film in 2016 and later adapted into an award winning play. I see from other reviewers here that their versions had illustrations but, sadly, my e-book did not.

Recommended. When you're ready.

(May 2024)
5 stars

>43 humouress: Sounds haunting. I love books with such depth that they have a special place in my memory. This one sounds like it would have that staying power.

>44 Cecilturtle: I think it would. Let me know after you’ve read it ;0)

I've borrowed The Merciful Crow twice from the library; now I have my own copy.

12) The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

{first in duology; fantasy, YA, re-read} (2019)

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not.

In the land of Sabor everyone belongs to a different caste, each named for birds. There are twelve castes in Sabor of which the Phoenix is the highest and the Crows are the lowest, considered almost untouchables. The rulers of Sabor are of the Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire; they can summon fire from nothing and will not be burned by fire. Every caste except the Crows has a birthright of magic, granted by the one thousand dead gods; caste members seem to have limited uses of their magic but caste witches - of which there are one thousand in total across Sabor - can wield the power. The Crow caste, however, has no magic and has no home but the roads; but, though Crows have no innate magic, Crow witches can borrow a birthright from the bones or teeth of other castes.

"You knew," Fie accused, stacking up every horrid piece. "That's why you ran."
Jasimir shook his head, adamant. "It didn't sound possible until now. All three Swan witches are accounted for, she has no sign, and Tavin and I witnessed the marriage ceremony ourselves. We didn't know she could lose her Birthright for only a moon. I swear, I came to your band for help because Rhusana allied with the Oleanders, and for that reason alone." Fie scowled, baleful, at the dirt. "Aught else you want to tell me? Tatterhelm's got a meaner cousin? The king's really two asps in a fancy robe?"
"I still don't know what Viimo meant about ghasts," Tavin said.
"Me either." Fie's gut twisted. Pa had taught her how to call Swan teeth just on principle, for they had but a largely useless few. Still, in the handful of times she'd blinked through the life in a dead Swan's spark, she'd heard no whisper of ghasts. And that, like so many things, bode ill. Grim silence settled over them once more as Fie plaited a whole new set of troubles into the ones on her head.
Then Tavin's voice broke in. "I really have to know: Which one of us is Pissabed?"

(Crows are named for the first word spoken in anger after they are born. Fie has had to make up Crow names for them on the spur of the moment.)

Crows are tolerated because they, alone, are immune to the Sinners' Plague which kills animals and people horribly and painfully and can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month, so it is their duty - which they cannot refuse if they see the plague beacon - to collect the bodies of plague victims for which they receive a fee, which is how they make their living. If they find victims still alive it is their duty to dispatch them (hence 'merciful Crow') because the plague is incurable and highly contagious. Although the wandering families of Crows are the only thing preventing the land being overrun by the plague Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down for sport.

Sixteen year old Fie is the daughter of a Crow Chief whom she calls Pa (who adopted her after her mother was hunted down) and is being trained by him to be a chief for one of the Crow bands that roam Sabor. She can borrow the magic of a person's caste, for a limited time, from their teeth which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else for their fee and she can also see past lives from the touch of bones. She knows that, despite Saborian laws, Crows are treated as outcasts and hunted and tortured by the so called Oleander Gentry who ride masked at night and so they must live circumspectly even as they walk the roads of Sabor.

The story opens when Fie's band has been called to the palace to deal mercy to a plague victim, if necessary, for the first time in 500 years. When the queen tries to cheat them of their viatik (or rightful payment) - as so often happens to Crows - Pa lets Fie set the price. And she makes a deal that could make life safer for all Crows - if she can pull it off.

I do like Tavin's irrepressible, flippant humour. He knows how to break the tension; the Crows are running for their lives with Queen Rhusana and the Oleander Gentry (the equivalent of the KKK) after them and they've just realised everything is even worse than they thought. I like the map at the beginning of the book and I also found the table of castes, with their birthrights, useful.

Very enjoyable. After borrowing this book from the library twice, I've now bought the duology for my own shelves.

(February 2024)
4.5-5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not. But they are immune to the Sinners' Plague which can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month and so they collect the bodies of plague victims, dispatching them if necessary. Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down.

16yo Fie, a Crow Chief's adopted daughter, is a witch, destined to be a chief; she can borrow the magic of a person's caste from their teeth, which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else, and she can see past lives from the touch of bones. Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire, rules. Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the 1st time, to collect plague victims and ends up striking a bargain that could change all the Crows' lives

"You knew," Fie accused, stacking up every horrid piece. "That's why you ran."
Jasimir shook his head, adamant. "It didn't sound possible until now. All three Swan witches are accounted for, she has no sign, and Tavin and I witnessed the marriage ceremony ourselves. We didn't know she could lose her Birthright for only a moon. I swear, I came to your band for help because Rhusana allied with the Oleanders, and for that reason alone." Fie scowled, baleful, at the dirt. "Aught else you want to tell me? Tatterhelm's got a meaner cousin? The king's really two asps in a fancy robe?"
"I still don't know what Viimo meant about ghasts," Tavin said.
"Me either." Fie's gut twisted. Pa had taught her how to call Swan teeth just on principle, for they had but a largely useless few. Still, in the handful of times she'd blinked through the life in a dead Swan's spark, she'd heard no whisper of ghasts. And that, like so many things, bode ill. Grim silence settled over them once more as Fie plaited a whole new set of troubles into the ones on her head.
Then Tavin's voice broke in. "I really have to know: Which one of us is Pissabed?"

I do like Tavin‘s irrepressible, flippant humour. He knows how to break the tension; they‘re running for their lives with Queen R and the equivalent of the KKK after them and they‘ve just realised everything is even worse than they thought.
(Fie has had to make up Crow alibis for them and give them fake names; Mongrel & Pissabed.

unposted review from May 2022:

19) The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

 

First of 2? Fantasy (2019)

In the land of Sabor everyone belongs to a different caste, named for birds, and every caste except the Crows has a gods-given birthright. The rulers of Sabor are of the Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire; they can summon fire from nothing and will not be burned by fire. But Crows are immune to the Sinners' Plague which kills animals and people horribly and painfully and can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month, so it is their duty - which they cannot refuse if they see the plague beacon - to collect the bodies of plague victims for which they receive a fee, which is how they make their living. If they find victims still alive it is their duty to dispatch them (hence 'merciful Crow') because the plague is incurable and highly contagious. Although the wandering families of Crows are the only thing preventing the land being overrun by the plague Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down for sport.

Sixteen year old Fie is a Crow Chief's adopted daughter and is being trained by him to be a chief because she, like him, is a witch. She can borrow the magic of a person's caste, for a limited time, from their teeth which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else for their fee and she can also see past lives from the touch of bones. The story begins as Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the first time ever to collect plague victims, and ends up striking a bargain that could change the lives of all Crows.

May 2022
4.5 stars

Litsy notes

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not. But they are immune to the Sinners' Plague which can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month and so they collect the bodies of plague victims, dispatching them if necessary. Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down.

16yo Fie, a Crow Chief's adopted daughter, is a witch, destined to be a chief; she can borrow the magic of a person's caste from their teeth, which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else, and she can see past lives from the touch of bones. Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire, rules. Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the 1st time, to collect plague victims and ends up striking a bargain that could change all the Crows' lives

14) The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

{first of 5+1 in Lockwood & Co.; fantasy, adventure, mystery, paranormal, children's, young adult, television adaptation}(2013)

 

The story is told from Lucy Carlysle's point of view in the first person and opens as she and Lockwood (of Lockwood and Company) are about to enter a house on a case; Lockwood is a somewhat irrepressible character:

And above all don’t impersonate the client. Please. It never goes down well.’

‘That’s an awful lot of don’ts, Lucy,’ Lockwood said.

‘Too right it is.’

‘You know I’ve got an excellent ear for accents. I copy people without thinking.’

‘Fine, copy them quietly after the event. Not loudly, not in front of them, and particularly not when they’re a six-foot-six Irish dockworker with a speech impediment, and we’re a good half-mile from the public road.’

In this parallel universe Britain has been afflicted by the Problem for the last fifty years or so, where all manner of paranormal activities and hauntings (classified as Types 1, 2 or 3) have sprung up all over the country with potentially fatal results and only children can sense the apparitions. As darkness falls, curfew is called when everyone goes indoors, safe behind iron and salt, and only children go out to work either as guards or - the more sensitive ones - to work for agencies, banishing the Visitors. Most agencies do some work for the government, specifically with the department known as DEPRAC (Department of Psychical Research and Control), and they all have adult supervisors who used to be agents but are no longer sensitive.

Lockwood and company, as we discover through Lucy's flashbacks, are the only agency with no adults - consisting solely, in fact, of (Anthony) Lockwood, George and Lucy, all around 14 to 16 years old - and not linked to DEPRAC (although Inspector Barnes drops by from time to time when things aren't looking good). Lockwood owns the house (the details of how are only hinted at vaguely) in which they all live and work and can convince them (Lucy, anyway; George likes to research cases thoroughly first - if he's given the chance) to take the most dangerous risks on the strength of his smile.

He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away. It's too early in the morning and I haven't had my breakfast'

I liked the banter; there was enough to keep it somewhat lighthearted without being overwhelming.

This seems to be set in a parallel London (although at one point Lucy 'fixed tea' which sounded odd) of about 40 years ago, where there are cars and telephones and Velcro but no mobile phones and ladies wear hats.

On the first case that we see (not Lucy's first, as she has been with Lockwood and Company - her second agency - for six months at this point) they have been called in by a widow whose husband fell down the stairs and now she feels a presence in the house. In solving the case, Lucy finds a necklace which involves them in another case. Meanwhile, desperate for business to keep the company afloat, Lockwood accepts a case at a manor house in Berkshire which has been haunted for centuries and where more deaths keep occurring - including a team from one of the oldest and best ghost agencies.

Wow, this was a nail biting page turner! And a BB from drneutron (thanks doc!) who also seems to be a fan of the Netflix series based on this books series - another thing I need to look into. The edition I borrowed from the library had a preface by the author complementing the Netflix actors and setting. The plotting was good, the pacing was good and I didn't want to put this book down (though I may have wanted to look away at times). And though it's about paranormal Visitors, it wasn't a scary book (I don't read horror) though there was plenty of tension.

The title reminded me of the Nancy Drew stories I used to read as a child - but this is nothing like! This was a good book and I'll be looking for the rest of the series. It's billed as a children's/ young adult's book but doesn't talk down to its audience. I've recommended it to my 15 year old son, too, since he's a Skulduggery Pleasant fan - let's see what he thinks.

ETA: I watched the first episode of the Netflix series last night and introduced my husband to it, too. I found it fascinating comparing it to the book though he found it a bit scary (though he used to be into horror - which I can't watch).

And, of course, a good cup of tea is absolutely essential.

But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all.

OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven‘t the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help to keep you sane.

February 2024
4.5-5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Set in London, presumably contemporary since they have Velcro. Not sure why she ‘fixed‘ tea though.

On ch 2. They are ghost hunters since only children can sense paranormal phenomena properly and on a case in a haunted house

Set in a parallel universe where England has been invaded by ghosts. There are cars, trains, electricity, Velcro but no mobile phones and ladies still wear hats

Nail biting!

And above all don’t impersonate the client. Please. It never goes down well.’

‘That’s an awful lot of don’ts, Lucy,’ Lockwood said.

‘Too right it is.’

‘You know I’ve got an excellent ear for accents. I copy people without thinking.’

‘Fine, copy them quietly after the event. Not loudly, not in front of them, and particularly not when they’re a six-foot-six Irish dockworker with a speech impediment, and we’re a good half-mile from the public road.’

But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all.

OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven‘t the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help to keep you sane.

He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away. It‘s too early in the morning and I haven‘t had my breakfast

Blast it! 😡 A couple of my tickers have disappeared. I'll wait and see if they come back, otherwise I'll have to try and reconstruct them. I wonder if there are any other ticker sites we can use? I can't find any.