Caramellunacy Returns to the Digsite in 2024

Welcome to the 2024 digsite, excavation enthusiasts and backers! After a lot of upheaval last season, I am hoping to make more progress on Mt. TBR this year (despite the siren song of the library).

I will be sticking with a goal of 24 this year (two per month seems workable).

2024 Excavations

Artefacts Excavated in 2024
Catalogue Note: Items listed in italics below are exhibits on loan (library) or ephemera (digital) and therefore are not being counted for purposes of this excavation as the intention is to work through the physical digsite. Items listed in bold are the exhibit of the month (favorite read). (Monthly Total/Overall Total). Items with * have Fieldnotes in thread.

January (13/13)
A Very Beery New Year - Jackie Lau (digital)
*A Million to One - Adiba Jaigirdar (library)
*Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders - Kathryn Miles (library)
*The Ivy Tree - Mary Stewart (digital)
*The Girl in the Green Silk Gown - Seanan Mcguire (library)
Colonial Madness - Jo Whittemore (library)
The Duke Undone - Joanna Lowell (library)
1. The Widow - Carla Neggers
Everyone Wants to Know - Kelly Loy Gilbert (library)
*2. Before I Found You - Sherry Ewing
3. Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros
The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway - Ashley Schumacher (library)
A Trace of Poison - Colleen Cambridge (library)

February (11/24)
Dungeons and Drama - Kristy Boyce (library)
Milkweed - Jerry Spinelli (library)
Assistant to the Villain - Hannah Nicole Maehrer (library)
Concrete Evidence - Rachel Grant (digital)
4. The Agathas - Kathleen Glasgow
5. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels - Janice Hallett
6. Bear With Me Now - Katie Shepard
That Weekend - Kara Thomas (digital)
NerdCrush - Alisha Emrich (library)
A Death in Diamonds - S.J. Bennett (library)
You're the Duke That I Want - Lenora Bell (library)

March (16 / 40)
7. Keeping the Castle - Patrice Kindl
Meet Me in the Margins - Melissa Ferguson (library)
The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop - Fannie Flagg (library)
Let's Talk About Love - Claire Kann (digital)
Clean Sweep (Vol. 1) - Ilona Andrews (library)
Murder Road - Simone St. James (library)
The Burnout - Sophie Kinsella (library)
Fence (Vol. 6) - Redemption - C.S. Pacat (library)
One Red Sock - Jennifer Sattler (library)
8. Role Playing - Cathy Yardley
The Great Texas Dragon Race - Kacy Ritter (library)
Tiny Dancer - Siena Cherson Siegel (library)
9. The Still Point - Tammy Greenwood
A Corner of White - Jaclyn Moriarty (library)
The Dos and Donuts of Love - Adiba Jaigirdar
10. Escargot and the Search for Spring - Dashka Slater

April (13 /53)
11. Scorched - Laura Griffin
The Ultimate Pi Day Party - Jackie Lau (digital)
In the Hall with the Knife - Diana Peterfreund (library)
The Redemption of Heathcliff - Alanna Lucas (digital)
Stalking Jack the Ripper - Kerri Maniscalco (library)
A Tempest of Tea - Hafsah Faizal (library)
Switchboard Soldiers - Jennifer Chiaverini (library)
While You Were Dreaming - Alisha Rai (library)
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix (library)
12. Calamity - Constance Fay
In the Study with the Wrench - Diana Peterfreund (library)
The Romeo and Juliet Code - Phoebe Stone (library)
A Most Agreeable Murder - Julia Seales (library)

May (18/71)
Murder by Invitation Only - Colleen Cambridge (library)
Wombat, the Reluctant Hero - Christian Trimmer (library)
Wunderland - Jennifer Cody Epstein (library)
13. Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston - Esme Symes-Smith
Must Love Books - Shauna Robinson (library)
Buffalo Flats - Martine Leavitt (library)
The Blighted Stars - Megan E. O'Keefe (digital)
In the Ballroom with the Candlestick - Diana Peterfreund (library)
Kilt Trip - Alexandra Kiley (library)
King Cheer - Molly Horton Booth (library)
Today Tonight Tomorrow - Rachel Lynn Solomon (library)
Killers of a Certain Age - Deanna Raybourn (library)
Sir Callie and the Dragon's Roost - Esme Symes-Smith (library)
Star Splitter - Matthew J. Kirby (library)
14. Resurrection Walk - Michael Connelly
The Baker and the Bard - Fern Haught (library)
The Falcon Thief - Joshua Hammer (library)
15. Mind Games - Nora Roberts

June (11 / 82)
Dear Wendy - Ann Zhao (library)
Rebel with a Clause - Ellen Jovin (library)
Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for Unbreakable Arts - Erika Lewis (library)
Playing for Keeps - Jennifer Dugan (library)
Northranger - Rey Terciero (library)
My Mechanical Romance - Alexene Farol Follmuth (library)
Lethal Dissection - Dobi Cross (digital)
My Fine Fellow - Jennieke Cohen (library)
Extra Innings - Lynn Stevens (digital)
Prepped - Bethany Mangle (library)
Queen Bee - Amalie Howard (library


July (17 / 99)
The Prospects - KT Hoffman (library)
Death in a Blackout - Jessica Ellicott (library)
16. First Test (graphic novel) - Tamora Pierce
National Archive Hunters: Capitol Chase - Matthew Landis (library)
Waiting for Tom Hanks - Kerry Winfrey (library)
17. Didn't See That Coming - Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Killing Code - Ellie Marney (library)
The Book of Cold Cases - Simone St. James (library)
Brownstone - Samuel Teer (library)
Somewhere Only We Know - Maurene Goo (library)
Band of Sisters - Lauren Willig (library)
Break the Fall - Jennifer Iacopelli (library)
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster (library)
18. Heaven and Earth - Nora Roberts
The Darkness Outside us - Eliot Schrefer (library)
Mystic Pieces - Ada Bell (digital)
Fast Girls - Elise Hooper (library)

August ( 14 / 113 )
19. The Exchange - John Grisham
Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu - Erika Lewis (library)
Night Owl - Rachel Grant (digital)
Earls Trip - Jenny Holiday (library)
No Country for Old Gnomes - Delilah Dawson & Kevin Hearne (library)
Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World's Richest Museum - Jason Felch (library)
Meet Me in Millfield - Jackie Lau (digital)
In the Waves - Rachel Lance (library)
The Ministry of Time - Kaliane Bradley (library)
20. Twelfth Knight - Alexene Farol Follmuth
Mulan and the Palace of Secrets - RH Disney (library)
Squire & Knight - Scott Chantler (library)
Innocence Taken - Victoria M. Patton (digital)

September ( 13 / 126 )
The Library of Borrowed Hearts - Lucy Gilmore (library)
Field Notes on Love - Jennifer E. Smith (library)
21. The Reluctant Heartthrob - Jackie Lau
By Any Other Name - Erin Cotter (library)
Moonstorm - Yoon Ha Lee (library)
Girl Abroad - Elle Kennedy (library)
Murder on the Home Front - Jessica Ellicott (library)
Flight Risk - Cherie Priest (library)
22. The Scarecrow - Michael Connelly
The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley (library)
Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti (library)
The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley (library)
It's Elementary - Elise Bryant (library)

October ( 11 / 137 )
Death at Morning House - Maureen Johnson (library)
Into the Dim - Janet B. Taylor (library)
Being Mary Bennet - J.C. Peterson (library)
The Examiner - Janice Hallett (library)
Sparks of Light - Janet B. Taylor (library)
A Disaster in Three Acts - Kelsey Rodkey (library)
Mastering the Art of French Murder - Colleen Cambridge (library)
What's Eating Jackie Oh - Patricia Park (library)
23. First Grave on the Right - Darynda Jones
Murder in the Family - Cara Hunter (library)
Well, That Was Unexpected - Jesse Q. Sutanto (library)>/i>

November ( / )
Kelcie Murphy and the Race for the Reaper's Key - Erika Lewis (library)
Apprentice to the Villain - Hannah Nicole Maehrer (library)
24. Edge of Danger - Cherry Adair
Second Grave on the Right - Darynda Jones (library)
The Bletchley Riddle - Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin (library)
25. Shady Hollow - Juneau Black
Knight Owl - Christopher Denise (library)
The Calculation of You and Me - Serena Kaylor (library)
Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen: the story of six novels, three notebooks, a writing desk and one clever girl - Deborah Hopkinson (library)
A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice - Jasmine A. Stirling

Hi CL, Happy to follow your digging and excavating again this year. Go get those ROOTs.

Hope you dig up some goodies this year!

Very impressive to already have one on the 2024 list!

Welcome back, looking forward to your Fieldnotes!

Happy new year! Looking forward to your excavations as always.

Welcome back! Looking forward to seeing what spoils you unearth this year!

Welcome back!

>3 connie53:, >4 Jackie_K:, >6 detailmuse:, >7 curioussquared:, >8 rabbitprincess:, >9 cyderry:

Thank you all for stopping by! I'm so excited to see what all we're going to unearth over the course of the year.

>5 rosalita:
To be fair, it is a tiny little novella that I kept to read on New Year's Day because of the title. Still - a little hit of dopamine to have unearthed already!

Nice reading/digging! I love your commitment to your theme.

It's so great to see the excavations are ongoing! Here's to many good finds!

>11 KWharton:, >12 MissWatson: Thank you both - glad to see you both here!

No ROOTS to report just yet, but I just finished a fun one, so I thought this was a good a place as any to begin with Fieldnotes for the year:

Artefact: The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
Trove: E-book
Status: Restored to Rightful Hands



Fieldnotes:
UK-Northumberland, Whitescar Farm, Contemporary (p.

1 Case of Mistaken Identity
1 Farm in Northumberland at the Heart of It All
1 Ailing and Rather Tyrannical Grandfather
3 Potential Heirs, of which:
1 Long-Missing
1 Rather Flighty
1 Hard-working but Entitled and Menacing Cousin
Scheming Over the Will

1 Symbolic Ivy-Choked Oak Tree
1 Estate Destroyed by Fire
1 Secret Love Affair
1 Moonlight Meeting
Letters Hidden in a Tree
3 (?) Attempted Murders (maybe)

1 Charming and Kindhearted Scot with a fondness for Kittens
1 Excellent Scene with Cats and Sandwiches
Roman Stones
1 Race Through the Sodden Countryside
1 Wild Horse

The Short Version:
When a young woman hiking by Hadrian's Wall (by the Sycamore Gap - which made me a bit melancholy) is taken by a menacing Irishman to be his long-absent cousin Annabel Winslow, a scheme unfolds between them. Mary agrees to come to Whitescar farm and pretend to be Annabel to steer their grandfather to leave the inheritance to (the aptly named) Con. With copious references to the novel Brat Farrar (where something similar takes place), the scheme seems successful, but there is far more at stake here - why did Annabel leave in such a tizzy? how can Mary/Annabel keep her cousin Julie safe? will the irascible grandfather stop playing games with them over the inheritance before he dies? Can Mary/Annabel pull off the deception long term?

It's a twisty Gothic romance as Mary Stewart excels with menacing menfolk, a house/estate, storms that create high drama, and a rather charming scene slipping sandwiches to a cat hiding underneath an armchair. I wanted the love interest to be Donald Seton, the kind-hearted archaeologist with a tendre for Julie, as I wanted to see more of him. The actual reunited lovers are fine if uninspiring. There is an excellent amount of barely-contained menace, and I enjoyed puzzling my way through the novel.

>14 Caramellunacy: One of these days I have to read one of her romances!

>15 MissWatson: Ooh, you should, though I probably wouldn't start here. I read Nine Coaches Waiting a few years ago, which may be a better beginning.

I loved the Mary Stewart books I read some 50 years ago. I don't think this is one I know from back then.

>17 connie53: Do you remember which was your favorite/which stuck with you?

I, too, adore Mary Stewart. My main objection is that she describes both villain and love interest in positive terms; and that often, her love interest has the moody qualities that modern readers know to represent abusive and controlling men. Otherwise , her writing is just scrumptious. I know she has to write the bad guy in positive terms to throw the reader off balance; still it irritates me no end. Ivy tree is a good read, but the villain makes my skin crawl. Nine Coaches waiting is lovely, but I would have chosen the other guy. Gabriel Hounds is good and I cannot recall anything that offended me, much. Thornyhold Cottage is gentle and a pleasant English Garden. She creates the mystery around "witch/herbal" themes rather than full on suspense.

>19 EGBERTINA: Very true - the "is this handsome man brooding or trying to murder me" bit can certainly be off-putting. But I do find her writing to be wonderfully atmospheric (if often somewhat menacing). I haven't read Thornyhold in ages and remember nothing about it - I will have to dig it out of the boxes and dust it off!

I just read my first Mary Stewart romance in December (This Rough Magic) and loved it! Looking forward to reading more of her stuff. I wish it hadn't taken me so long, but I was turned off by her Arthurian books.

>21 curioussquared: If you liked This Rough Magic - you should like the others slightly more. 'Rough Magic' was her first and though it is good, it is predictable and not as well polished as later works.

Artefact: A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar
Trove: Library
Status: Among the Flotsam and Jetsam



Fieldnotes:
RMS Titanic, April 1912

4 Teenaged Girls, of which
- 1 Pickpocket and Mastermind
- 1 "Face" / Distraction
- 1 Circus Performer
- 1 Artist / Forger
Diversity in both PoC and LGBT sense

1 Heist of
1 Bejeweled Book of Persian Poetry
1 Excellent Motive
1 Truly Ridiculous Motive
Ambivalence

1 Nemesis
1 Suspicious Matron
1 Blue Hair Clip
Disguises

Several Stolen Kisses
1 Ignored Ice/Weather Report by Telegram
1 Knife Fight
1 Maritime Disaster
Sacrifices

The Plan:
Listen, I heard there was a YA novel about a heist aboard the Titanic featuring 4 teenage girls from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, some of whom wanted to smooch on one another? I could not pick this up fast enough - it sounded SO FUN.

Reader, it was nowhere near as fun as it sounded. First of all, we don't get nearly as much heist planning and executing as I was hoping. The details of the heist are largely hand-waved and mostly seem to involve creeping through the air vents. Where is the elaborate plan?

Second, we are aboard the TITANIC, but I didn't really get a sense of place - not of the luxury onboard, the little details that make it feel real. And then when the inevitable happens, there wasn't much of a sense of disarray and panic. This seemed remarkably civilized rather than people trying to save their own skins.

Also, although we have a character from Karachi and another who is half-Haitian, their backgrounds simply don't feature as much as I wanted to read about them - I could understand wanting to gloss over some of the racism for a fun book, but I still wanted a sense of their background - missing food, smells, quirks.

Finally, and what really killed this for me - the super secret *real* reason for the heist by our fearless leader Josefa (who was the most irksome - being incredibly reckless and impulsive but somehow also the planner?) is payback for being betrayed by her former thieving partner - but she is only a thief because her comfortable middle-class life was too restricting and apparently petty thievery is *thrilling*. Endangering others who may have to actually face consequences because she's BORED? Ugh, no thank you.

I wanted more of all of the other characters and far, FAR less of Josefa.

Artefact: The Girl In the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire (The Ghost Roads, Book 02)
Trove: Library
Status: Restored to Its Rightful Place



Fieldnotes:
The Highways, 2016
1 Hitchhiker Ghost and Urban Legend
1 Boyfriend Turned Car Ghost
1 Banshee (bean sidhe)
1 James Dean-style Predator
1 Elaborate Trap
1 Enemy Turned Tentative Ally

Queen of the Routewitches
The Grecian Underworld

The Short Version:
Rose Marshall - hitchhiking ghost and urban legend - is enjoying some time with her boyfriend/car ghost Gary when she is summoned into an elaborate trap by her nemesis Bobby Cross. He has been fixated on her since she escaped his soul-guzzling car when he killed her 60 years.

Rose has to participate in a terrifying Halloween ritual in an attempt to restore the protection placed on her by Apple, Queen of the Routewitches in the last book. She then finds herself forced to rely on Professor Laura Moorhead - who holds her responsible for the death of her boyfriend years ago and has dedicated her life to destroying Rose. They must journey to the Underworld to restore Rose to her place as a hitchhiking ghost.

The most fun bits are the re-imagination of the Grecian Underworld with the London Underground taking the place of the River Styx and tricking her way past Cerberus. I enjoyed this installment, though I preferred the more episodic out-of-order format of the first that worked to reinforce the idea of Rose as the urban legend.

>18 Caramellunacy: The three book in the Arthurian Merlin Saga. The Cristal Cave - The Hollow Hills - The Last Enchantment I think they were called. This was pre-LT and those books are somewhere in the attic.
After my mother died I spend one year at home keeping house for my father, 2 sisters and 1 brother (at least that was the initial idea) And because I planned to study English at the university after that year I bought lots of books in the English language to keep my level.

>25 connie53: I haven't read those, but they are in one of the boxes around here. Once things are more settled, I will have to go digging.

Artefact: Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles
Trove: Library
Status: Returned to the Wild



Fieldnotes:
Shenandoah National Park, 1996

2 Experienced Outdoorswomen
1 Golden Retriever Mix
1 Backcountry Camping Site
Unsolved Double Murder

1 Unlikely Suspect
1 Potential Other Suspect
Inadequate DNA Testing
Understaffing
Hate Crime Legislation

The Short Version:
I generally find myself unsatisfied by True Crime, especially those around unsolved cases. Generally, these are unsettling and if a potential suspect is flagged, I can't help but be concerned about libel and consequences of armchair detectives ruining peoples' lives based on their own pet theories. Miles does present an alternative suspect in the case, and her reasoning is fairly convincing - but, of course, we only have the information she chooses to present on those points.

I found this story overall less frustrating because of its wider and also more personal focus - it is about Julie Williams and Lollie Winans as a couple and outdoorswomen - as real people, but it also is a memoir of how the author approached and reacted to the case, how she linked it to her own experiences with assault and the outdoors and the emotional toll the reporting took on her and her relationships. It is the story of understaffed and inadequately policed national parks, politically influenced prosecutions, public relations, overlooked evidence, and the fear women and marginalized communities feel that keeps them from embracing "The Great Outdoors". An interesting discussion - and seems somewhat less ghoulish than many true crime works.

Artefact: Before I Found You by Sherry Ewing (de Courtenay, Book 3)

Trove: Paperback
Status: Travelling



Fieldnotes:
Fenwick on Sea, Regency - 1815

1 Title-Obsessed Young Miss with a Talent for Scandal
1 Non-Titled Merchant Captain (Half-French)
1 Shocking Lack of Introductions!
2 Rejected Overtures

1 Unscrupulous Rival
Sabotage!
1 Terrible Storm
1 Convergence on The Queen's Barque Inn featuring Cross-Pollination

1 Gossip Sheet Reporter
Appalling Lack of Consideration for Reputations
Kidnapping!
Fisticuffs!
Embracing in Public!

The Short Version:

Miranda de Courtenay has one overarching objective - she wants - nay, *needs* to marry a title. After all, she is currently the only one of her siblings without an honorific, and her 20-year-old self just can't handle her elder siblings having something she doesn't. Apparently, the young lady is so fixated on what she wants that she has (in previous novellas) made some rather questionable decisions and weathered more than her fair share of scandals.

I really wanted to like Miranda, but her obsession with a title for the sake of having a title (rather than wealth, or having some ambition related to the title) was extremely tiresome. Despite her being immediately drawn to merchant captain Jasper Rousseau (to the point of ignoring societal niceties like introductions before dancing a waltz - the SCANDAL), she immediately dismisses him out of hand once she learns that he's untitled and instead runs off after someone who claims to be titled but is clearly a MISCREANT - listen to your maid! She also flings herself into danger just to make sure Jasper is safe at one point (so at least she's affectionate, if reckless). She's just a very self-absorbed, very dramatic 20-year-old with messed-up priorities. And I may be a tad too old for her nonsense.

On the whole I liked Jasper and wanted the two of them to get together, but there wasn't really much of an obstacle other than his lack of title, which just wasn't good enough a reason for me to forgive Miranda throwing him away (not once, but multiple times!). I'd happily read more in the series, though.

This was a novella (3rd in a series) that originally featured in an anthology - all set at the same inn during the same storm. I might have enjoyed the cross-pollination of what I assume to be characters from other novellas more had I read the full anthology rather than just this. That said, while I was certainly aware that I was reading a later book in a series and a smaller part of a larger anthology, this novella didn't rely on any of the others to the point where it couldn't be read as a stand-alone. This is a "sweet" romance - kisses only.

>28 Caramellunacy: I love the exclamation marks in the fieldnotes! Too bad that Miranda is so unlikeable.

>29 MissWatson: Honestly, I kept thinking that she was *such* a Marianne Dashwood, so no doubt I would have had more sympathy with her in my youth...

>28 Caramellunacy: As always, a less than stellar book makes for a stellar set of field notes! :)

>1 Shocking Lack of Introductions!
I nearly snorted my beverage.

>31 curioussquared: If I find myself irked by a book, it does make finishing them more fun to ponder what fieldnotes to include.

>32 detailmuse: I'm glad you didn't, that would have been Most Shocking as well. However would you fare in Society?!?

Dig Site Report - January

A small delay in the monthly digsite report this time, but better late than not at all! This month, I excavated 3 ROOTs out of 13 total (the library had a strong hold on the digsite this month with 8, and 2 were read digitally, which I am not counting as ROOTs at this time). No deaccessions for the spoils heap, and I have decided against tracking acquisitions this season as too disheartening...
5 Field Notes were completed in January!

January (13/13)
A Very Beery New Year - Jackie Lau (digital)
*A Million to One - Adiba Jaigirdar (library)
*Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders - Kathryn Miles (library)
*The Ivy Tree - Mary Stewart (digital)
*The Girl in the Green Silk Gown - Seanan Mcguire (library)
Colonial Madness - Jo Whittemore (library)
The Duke Undone - Joanna Lowell (library)
1. The Widow - Carla Neggers
Everyone Wants to Know - Kelly Loy Gilbert (library)
*2. Before I Found You - Sherry Ewing
3. Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros
The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway - Ashley Schumacher (library)
A Trace of Poison - Colleen Cambridge (library)

Favorite Book of the Month:

A twisty atmospheric Gothic tale set along Hadrian's Wall. I found this one kept me guessing (although it may have been a little unfair), and I found it enjoyably immersive.

Least Favorite Book of the Month

How could a heist novel set on the Titanic stealing a precious bejeweled book of Persian poetry and featuring a group of 4 teenage girls of different ethnic backgrounds and a same-sex love story be my least favorite? I am just as surprised as you are, to be honest. Unfortunately, we didn't spend enough time assembling the team, showcasing their skills or actually heisting. The character we spent most time with made me angry.

Expeditions took the team to 4 countries, 6 US states and Fantasyland - (US, Canada, UK, Ireland).

We kicked off in a bar in Toronto for A Very Beery New Year, and we also visited tourist sites in Texas and Oklahoma as well as the Ren Faire to witness The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway - a plus-sized teen on the Faire circuit coming to grips with the passing of her beloved mother.

Everyone Wants to Know what's going on with the Lo family - stars of a cancelled family-based reality show in California - and the youngest, Honor, struggles to find her niche and to overcome the toxicity of growing up as "content" while her family implodes. The Los spend time in Texas as well, and I admit I bristled at their views of Baylor & Waco in general, basically treating it as nothing more than a reality show sell-out (apparently - I don't watch much in the way of reality TV).

We Trailed a journalist in Shenandoah, Virginia as she reported on the lives of a couple who were murdered in the park and the mismanagement of the investigation into their deaths. We also investigated a mysterious death alongside The Widow in the cabin they honeymooned in on Mt. Desert Island, where the husband grew up. We experienced Colonial Madness competing for a family fortune by living as if during the times of the first settlers in Massachusetts.

We followed the ghost known as The Girl in the Green Silk Gown as she struggled to escape a series of traps laid for her by the predatory Bobby Cross along the roads of the US and across to London to find a gate to the Grecian Underworld.

While in the UK, we attended the Royal Academy and watched one of the women students paint The Duke Undone only to find herself in need of his help as they address a number of social ills in Victorian Shoreditch. We visited a farm by The Ivy Tree and witnessed a full Gothic case of mistaken identity, fraud and murderous intent alongside Hadrian's Wall. Working alongside Agatha Christie's housekeeper to put on that most dangerous of British traditions - the village fete - we discovered that it was marred by A Trace of Poison and had to unravel the twisted case. Finally, we witnessed romance blossom despite the heroine's determination that she needed a title Before I Found You.

In Ireland, we followed a heist crew of teen girls with a variety of backgrounds as they board the Titanic to steal a priceless book of Persian poetry - the odds of them succeeding? A Million to One.

Finally, we discovered the Iron Flame in Navarre alongside the dragonriders as they struggle to determine who to trust and how to defend their homes against the venin.

Artefact: You're the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell (The Thunderbolt Club, Book 01)
Trove: Library
Status: Racing for Pink Slips



Fieldnotes:
Squalton-on-Sea / London, Regency

1 Heir Presumptive of the Duke of Rydell
1 Concealed Identity
1 Beautiful Ingenue - Lousy with Virginity
1 "Near-Drowning" Incident and Resultant "Saving"

1 Over Protective Mother
1 Priggish Vicar with Designs of Matrimony
1 Carriage Accident

1 Neglected Manor House
2 Spinster Ghosts
1 Historical Society
1 Edifying Pamphlet

1 Trip to London
3 Pink Ladies
5 Thunderbolt Club Members
Racing Curricles

1 Scandalous Madam Painting Nude Men
Secret Relatives
Blackmail!

1 Masked Ball
1 Wicked List
Only One Bed!

The Short Version:
In case it somehow wasn't clear, this is a Regency re-telling of Grease! with nods to a variety of iconic scenes and outfits. The names (such as the Earl of Kenwick and Lady Roslyn Stockard) are nods to the characters and the actors that played them in the 1978 John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John movie. There's a bit where Sandrine confesses that she is "hopelessly devoted" to Dane, which made me laugh. There is a climactic carriage race, we have the hard exterior, sweet interior of Lady Roslyn. And of course the "drowning" scene that starts it all. I very much enjoyed the references and thought much of the plot translated well.

Sandrine was a bit too wide-eyed innocent and optimistic, and her approach to overcoming Lord Dane's traumatic past felt a little too "positive thinking" which I found a bit simplistic and honestly a bit annoying. But their relationship was sweet (and sexy) and supportive, and I liked the two of them together.

>35 Caramellunacy: That sounds hilarious! Great description...

>35 Caramellunacy: "lousy with virginity" made me laugh out loud. Unfortunately, I am on the bus heading home from work right now.

I work at a bookstore, & sometimes when I'm working the registers & a customer is experiencing buyer's remorse already, I will sing (badly) at them:

"There are worse things you could do, than buy a book -- or two..."

>35 Caramellunacy: That actually sounds amazing!

>36 Cecilturtle: Thank you! I had a really fun time with this one.

>37 ReneeMarie: I have definitely been the person laughing out loud on the bus/train to work. I would apologize, but I'm glad you were amused. I utterly love your approach to book buyer's remorse, Rizzo ReneeMarie - so accurate.

>38 Jackie_K: I honestly liked it a lot. It's a fun historical romance for those with a fondness for Grease and I check those boxes. Lenora Bell does a lot of romance retellings (more or less faithful). My favorite so far was lightly inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The references there were more subtle, but once I realized what was happening it was great trying to work out who was who.

>39 Caramellunacy: Today someone asked me for the YA title That's Not My Name. The poor guy got the Ting Tings from me, & will probably never be able to look at the title without hearing that song in his head.

>35 Caramellunacy: and all: what a fun author, Fieldnote and conversation!

>35 Caramellunacy: Ok this sounds incredible!!

>40 ReneeMarie: I mean, that would be my immediate response to that title, as well...
>41 detailmuse:, >42 curioussquared: It is excellent having such entertaining visitors to the digsite.

Your fieldnotes are so fun!

I have not actually read any Mary Stewart yet, but I see that a few years back I added The Crystal Cave on a book bullet from majkia; looks like I should get to her eventually and try her romances as well.

>44 LisaMorr: Thanks, Lisa!
I think if you liked Rebecca, you would have a good time with Mary Stewart's Gothic atmospheric reads - I have to be in the right mood for them, though.

Artefact: Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl (Keeping the Castle, Book 01)
Trove: Hardcover
Status: Married into the Family



Fieldnotes:
Yorkshire, England, Regency

1 Mercenary (By Necessity) Beautiful Teen Girl Seeking Wealthy Spouse
2 Awful, Miserly Stepsisters (Cinderella Style)
1 Charming Heiress Artist with Smallpox Scars

Unsuitable Suitors
1 Handsome Baron with an Unfortunate Name
1 Intelligent Aristocrat with Excellent Dancing Skills
1 Brusque, Preoccupied, Financially-Minded Young Man Short on Social Niceties but Large of Heart
Meddling Matchmaking Oblivious to Everyone's True Feelings Ostensibly For Their Own Good

1 Crumbling Castle
2 Plot Moppets
1 Adorable and Persistent Dog
Scandalous Reading Material!

1 Gorse Bush Whose Buzzy Occupants Do Not Appreciate Dramatically Morbid Poetry Recitations and Who Express Their Critique Through Stinging
1 Near Drowning
1 Large, Barely Sentient Cloud of Curious Sheep
Laundry - A Novel Experience for a Handkerchief
Calamity!!!

The Short Version:
Kind of I Capture the Castle meets Austen (though perhaps more Emma than P&P).
We have our beautiful teen heroine determined to save the family fortune by marrying well, but scaring off suitors by being too forthright. We have a castle that keeps reminding me of the one in Disney's The Sword in the Stone with its crumbling and leaking (no cantankerous owls, though, more's the pity). We have a handsome aristocrat and his tactlessly brusque cousin (in TRADE!) and terrible selfish stepsisters. It is all fairly predictable in a very enjoyable sort of way, and the phrasing (particularly the gorse bush scene) made me laugh. Happy to keep this one around.

Ooh, I just picked up The Ivy Tree on Kindle because it was on sale for a dollar :D I read my first Mary Stewart historical last year, loved it, and have since picked up three more! Now I just need to read them...

>46 Caramellunacy: Ooh, you sold me with I Capture the Castle meets Austen!

>45 Caramellunacy: Exactly that.

>46 Caramellunacy: I am trying very hard not to add books to my library hold list. You are not helping. Placed a hold for this one....sigh.

>47 curioussquared: Just waiting for the right atmospheric day to break out the Mary Stewarts!

>48 connie53: Thanks :)

>49 ReneeMarie: I hope you like it, and that you do not run afoul of bees.

Greetings all! I have fallen far behind in my expedition logs, but LO! I have returned unto you all and bring you tidings of my latest artefact findings.

Artefact: The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar
Trove: Library
Status: The Winner of My Heart


This cover is SO CUTE. The Donuts, Shireen's EYES and smile and perfect watermelon earrings. Plus we have Niamh and Chris in the background. I have the heart eyes.

Fieldnotes:
Dublin, Ireland, Contemporary (p.2023)

1 Bangladeshi-Irish Teen with Big Baking Dreams
1 Irish Baking Competition Reality Show
1 Rival Ex-Girlfriend (Secret Variety)
1 Potential Whirlwind Romance

3 Judges with Names Cringily Close to Cooking Personalities
Punny Donut Names
1 Food Fight (with Fingerpointing)
1 Saboteur
Racist and Fatphobic Bigotry on Social Media
Mostly Supportive Parents

The Short Version
Shireen Malik is wallowing in her break-up watching reruns of GBBO and stuffing herself with donuts from the family store. But no time for that! She has been selected to take part in a teen baking competition show and gets to show off her skills on TV (and help save the struggling family donut store with her winnings). Upon arrival, it turns out her recent ex-girlfriend Chris (daughter of the rival donut shop across the street) is ALSO taking part and they are paired together for the first challenge.

Shireen is eager to share her desserts - and bring more attention to Bangladeshi cooking, but faces nasty comments about being a "token" with Padma Bollywood (yes, the name used *sigh*)'s vote in the bag because they're both "Indian". There are saboteurs and ugly competitiveness, but all in all, this is a happy, cute book full of puns (Shireen's naming specialty) and very sweet sapphic romance - as well as donuts. Obviously.

This made me so eager to re-watch Nadiya's GBBO season as Shireen has a similar playful warm energy (and also because she gets name-checked). Would recommend picking up some donuts before starting this one, for sure.

Artefact: Escargot and the Search for Spring by Dashka Slater
(Escargot, Book 04)
Trove: Hardcover
Status: Making a VERY FIERCE FACE at anyone who tries to take this from me



Fieldnotes:
The World, Spring

1 Very Beautiful French Snail Suffering from Ennui
1 Very Big Snowbank (That Follows Us)
1 Knock Knock Joke

Jealousy
1 Snail Snit
1 Hopping Competition
1 Picnic

The Short Version:
Bonjour! Once again it is time to visit with a very beautiful French snail! We discuss excellent ways to overcome ennui, we tell jokes. But also he becomes very hangry and jealous when the reader (that is you!) pays attention to an adorable bunny rabbit! Perhaps you would prefer to spend time with the bunny rabbit rather than the magnifique French snail? Perhaps if the bunny rabbit will not go, he will have to make a very FIERCE FACE? Perhaps all will end well with flowers and a beautiful salad. That is all we can hope for springtime.

These are so cute and so fun to read with an Outrageous French Accent - I wish more people had heard of them.

Artefact: The Still Point by Tammy Greenwood
Trove: Paperback
Status: Sent to Ballet School



Fieldnotes:
Costa de la Luna, California, Contemporary (p.2024)

3 Mothers
3 Daughters
1 Enfant Terrible Ballet Master from Paris
3 Male Dancers
1 Documentary Crew
1 Scholarship to Paris

1 Friendship Betrayal
Backstabbing
Grief
Money Troubles
Burnout
Ambition
Arson

The Short Version:
This isn't really my usual genre, but I was intrigued by the premise centered around ballet (and a documentary around ballet). More about the difficulties the mothers face - the sacrifices, the thwarted ambition and the fraught relationship with ambitious (or not) teenaged daughters than it is about ballet.

I enjoyed this well enough and it would make a great mini-series (with beautiful dancing). Still the tone was mostly more melancholy/serious than I would have liked.

>52 Caramellunacy: I absolument need this book! (My own copy, of course.) It sounds adorable.

>54 rabbitprincess: I have loved each of the escargot books I have come across. They are really cute!

>52 Caramellunacy: Just having "ennui" in the title is enticing - lol! Also, I'll have to test that French accent :D

Oh, the escargot books look adorable!

>52 Caramellunacy: Me too, but there are no Dutch version and my girls do not understand English (yet) to read them.

Artefact: In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund (Clue, Book 01)
Trove: Library
Status: Play Another Round!



Fieldnotes:
Blackbrook Academy, Maine, Contemporary (p.2019)

1 Prestigious Science Academy
1 Winter Storm Surge, leaving
11 Students and Staff taking refuge in
1 Former Mansion Turned Reform School Turned Girls' Dorm

6 Characters inspired by the Original Clue (7 if you count Headmaster Boddy)
Several References to the Classic Clue Weapons
2 Secret Passages (with at least 1 very clever entrance)
Rotating PoV

1 Broken Stained Glass Window
1 Dead Bod(d)y
Terribly Done Mopping

2 Secret Identities
2 Potentially Career-Ending Secrets

The Short Version:
A fun middle-grade/YA mystery inspired by the board game (and the 1985 movie) with clever backstories tying characters to their game counterparts and some of the more outrageous names being tied to more believable last names. Colonel Mustard thus become Sam "Mustard" Maestor - a new arrival fresh from military school. Beth Picach is a tennis star who dyes the ends of her hair blue. Professor Plum becomes a research-obsessed science genius who barely looks beyond his test tubes. Mr. Green becomes townie and scholarship student Vaughn Green - who helps with maintenance and janitorial work in addition to classes. Mrs. White is the dorm proctor.

I liked this, and I enjoyed how all of the secrets flying around leaves plot for the sequels. It's fairly lightweight, but makes full use of the secret passages and familiar lay-out of the mansion. I will happily read the next.

Artefact: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (Stalking Jack the Ripper, Book 01)
Trove: Library
Status: Packed off to do anachronistic science in Romania



Fieldnotes:
London, 1888

1 Overly Plucky Teenaged Girl with an Unhealthy Obsession with Science and the Dead
1 Deceased Mother (Scarlet Fever)
1 Overprotective Germaphobic Father
1 Hair-Obsessed Brother with Ever-Changing Interests

1 Uncle Specializing in Autopsies
1 Bright but Arrogant Assistant & Student of Forensic Medicine
1 Manhandling, Irksome Superintendent of Police
1 Clumsy, Near-Sighted Mongrel

1 Forensic Medicine Class at Harrow (??) that works on ACTUAL cases (??)
London Necropolis Railway
Very Modern Ideas Regarding Sex Workers
A Spot of Profiling
The Greatest Show on Earth
Bedlam

3 Links Between Victims of Jack the Ripper and the Wadsworth Family
3 Increasingly Insane Letters
1 Carriage Marked "M" for Murderer
1 Cryptic Death Pronouncement
1 Seance

Dark Secrets Within the Wall
2 Secret Laboratories
Galvanic Experiments that Would Make Dr. Frankenstein Proud

Gruesome Illustrative Photos

The Long Version:
I don't know why I keep reading YA Jack the Ripper books - every time I end up irked. In this case, our overly plucky teenaged investigatrix is 17-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth, only daughter of a lord. She has a truly unhealthy interest in the science of death (and a complete disdain for proper attire while autopsying and disregard for the poor servants who have to try to save her many blood-stained silk slippers). She essentially interns with her forensic pathologist uncle in Highgate (despite the distance from Belgravia - it is NOT THAT CLOSE) who is feuding with her father because his medical degree didn't allow him to save her mother from the scarlet fever she contracted while nursing Audrey Rose. She has some guilt-related mommy issues.

Her father, Lord Edmund Wadsworth, has responded by isolating himself, becoming extremely germaphobic and relying on his laudanum to get himself through the days. Thankfully, her dandy of an older brother Nathaniel helps her circumvent the most stringent of his restrictions.

Anyway, she banters hostilely with her uncle's arrogant (but, of course, handsome) Sherlockian assistant Thomas Cresswell, and the three of them essentially profile Jack the Ripper and speculate that he is attempting to perform an organ transplant (which has never been successfully done).

There are a lot of truly implausible moments where a 17-year-old gently born GIRL is wandering the streets UNCHAPERONED and hanging out ALONE with a teenaged boy. Not to mention being allowed to examine MURDER VICTIMS in the SLUMS in the EAST END. There is very little Victorian hand-wringing. There is not even an APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF HAND-WRINGING because this is INSANE. There are some very modern ideas about sex workers that are distinctly out of place given Audrey Rose's circumstances, but this didn't bother me as much as everyone acting like being a policeman (even superintendent) was a prestigious career for a NOBLEMAN in 1888. We've just dropped a mostly modern teenager into a facsimile of the Victorian era and given her teen Sherlock as a boyfriend.

There is a lot of incredibly awkward flirting, which I found less cute and more strange and...well, flirting over CORPSES isn't a thing that works for me, honestly.

I could get over a wallpaper historical with modern sensibilities if this was fun and clever, but the tone felt off. Not to mention our heroine was TSTL, insisted on doing truly stupid and dangerous things with no thought for potential consequences and then got fixated on who she decided was the culprit - evidence and her own observations be damned. I guessed the culprit and most of the why early on, which wouldn't have been a problem if this had at least been suspenseful and/or wrapped things up sensibly. For me and my tastes, it did neither.

>60 Caramellunacy: People seem to love this series on TikTok. Thank you for giving me a reason not to read it!!

>61 curioussquared: You're welcome - I think this is having too much familiarity with the time period/area/subject making it harder for me to suspend disbelief.
But I can see why it's popular. I think the tone could feel quite Enola Holmes (movie) - it just didn't work for me.

Hi CL, just visiting some threads and seeing what everyone is reading these days.

>59 Caramellunacy:. That sounds like a fun read.

I've been having a run of fun not-so-serious reads - I read A Most Agreeable Murder which is sort of Northanger Abbey meets Sherlock Holmes with Melodrama, secret passages, overzealous rhyming aphorisms and glowing fogs. It is very silly in a loving pastiche sort of way, and I enjoyed it very much.

Then there was a goofy sci-fi adventure & romance, Calamity with a crew of misfits, a cult, ill-fitting armor, secret missions and shooting. Our narrator was a tad too focused on her love interest's glistening muscles when she maybe should have worried a little more about survival, but I had a good time with it nonetheless.

I also had a good time with picture book Wombat, the Reluctant Hero (Tell me that isn't a fantastic title!). A wombat who likes everything just so (reluctantly) lets everybody into her fireproof burrow when wildfires rage through the bush.

>64 Caramellunacy: Wombat, the Reluctant Hero: A fabulous title, indeed. I'd love to read that!

Hi CL, just popping in to see what you have been reading. Wombat is adorable, as I can see on the cover.

Artefact: Lethal Dissection by Dobi Cross (Dr Zora Smyth, Book 01)
Trove: E-book
Status: Dropped as Scholarship Student



Fieldnotes:
Lexinbridge (New England), Contemporary (p.2018)

1 Medical Student from a Wealthy Family
1 Dissection Gone Wrong
1 Murder Charge of Damocles
1 Tarnished Reputation

1 Brother Figure Love Interest with Convenient Investigative Skills
1 Tragic Backstory
So Many Mommy Issues

1 Killer with Nothing to Lose
4 Conspirators Marked for Death
1 Vaguely Alluded to Sordid Backstory (Obvious Variety)
Blackmail
Lots of Missing Pieces/Reasons

So Much Misplaced Outrage
1 Manipulative Twist in Epilogue

The Short Version:
Zora Smyth is a driven medical student determined to have a brilliant career. She arrives early to prep for her first dissection and discovers that the cadaver at her work station is not a prepared specimen, but a fresh body. Her own actions (and arrogant lack of explanation) as well as ugly rumors thrown out by an academic rival soon lead to her being considered as a murder suspect.

Luckily for Zora, her wealthy mom sends her brilliant 2nd in command criminal attorney to help with Zora's case. Zora is super-resentful of her lawyer mother's work taking attention away from her (while she goes into the all-consuming world of medical school...), but Zora is wholly self-absorbed at all times without ever considering anything other than how it affects her. There is a scene where she knows the motives of the killer (very tragic backstory) and he is angry with her for not heeding his warnings and insisting on ruining his plans for revenge. And she can only think with outrage that he shouldn't be mad at HER, SHE is the VICTIM. I rolled my eyes SO HARD at her.

Zora convinces her brother figure Marcus who works for her mom as an investigator to help her meddle in an ongoing investigation that she is a suspect in... because it might affect her REPUTATION. It is super-important to obstruct justice to protect a possible future career as a surgeon - because your family's wealth and connections as a well-known and respected law firm will definitely not be enough to get any sort of prestigious career. Zora's motivations are frustrating at best, her methods of investigation mostly consist of calling in favors from her mother's team she resents and arrogantly demanding results from everyone she comes across because don't we all know this AFFECTS HER? Oh, and the occasional contemplated visit to the public library.

I liked Marcus, but it was super-weird to have him consistently refer to her as "little sis" while she goes on about how gorgeous he is and the author tries to convince us of their romantic chemistry. Weeeeird.

Spoilers for the culprit below:
The killer (with the ridiculous name of Alfred Pickles) is a janitor at the medical school. He is seeking to kill the people who were involved in his daughter's rape and its cover-up. They conspired to ruin her life to protect the powerful son of the company and drove her to suicide a year ago. He is now dying of a rapidly spreading wasting disease and is seeking justice/revenge.

Given Zora's outrage is essentially at being implicated in the murder rather than at the underlying crime, it is actually easier to sympathize with the killer rather than Zora. Especially when Zora basically says she doesn't care about the aftermath (and the bodies still missing/being found) because it no longer involves her (since she's not implicated).

No interest in continuing this series as I found the protagonist irritating and self-centered.

>67 Caramellunacy: "So many mommy issues" -- I lol'ed 😂

>68 curioussquared: Yeah, that. That caught my attention too.

How are you CL? I hope you are fine.

Reading is going fairly well - lots of library books coming in rather than ROOTs, but ROOT prevention is good too!

That's good to hear, CL. A bit of ROOTing and library books, that's a fine mix.