Narilka redacts her reading in 2024 - Part 2

It's time for a second thread for 2024!

My Rating System
- Absolutely horrible, don't bother

- Meh, I finished the book somehow but would not recommend it

- An entertaining read

- Highly enjoyable, I would probably recommend this book

- Excellent! The book may not be perfect but it was perfect for me. Possibly a new favorite.

A star is given for a book that falls between those categories.

Currently Reading


Listening To

Books Read in 2024
1. Beware of Chicken 3 by Casualfarmer
2. Dragon Heist by Alexander C. Kane
3. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
4. Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt
5. System Collapse by Martha Wells
6. The Wim Hof Method by Wim Hof
7. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
8. Yule Be Sorry by Kim M. Watt
9. The Phantom of the Lop Ear by Andrew Seiple
10. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
11. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
12. The Wisdom of the Council by Sara Landon
13. A Manor of Life and Death by Kim M. Watt
14. The Case of the Felonious Faire by Drew Hayes
15. Mort by Terry Pratchett
16. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
17. Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
18. The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell
19. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
20. An End to All Tails by Andrew Seiple
21. Game of Scones by Kim M Watt
22. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
23. Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
24. Siege Tactics by Drew Hayes
25. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
26. Foreigner by CJ Cherryh
27. Playing the Matrix by Mike Dooley
28. Eric by Terry Pratchett
29. The Ultimate Book of Fun Things to Do in Retirement Volume 1 by S. C. Francis
30. The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman
31. Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
32. To Die Fur by Dixie Lyle
33. Sabriel by Garth Nix
34. Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
35. Unstoppable Brain by Kyra Bobinet
36. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
37. A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow
38. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
39. Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett
40. Lirael by Garth Nix
41. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
42. A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
43. Project Hail Mary by Andy Wier
44. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
45. Morrigan's Ravens by Graeme Rodaughan
46. The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman
47. Nala's World by Dean Nicholson
48. Abhorsen by Garth Nix
49. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
50. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
51. The Dark Refrain by Jessica Khoury
52. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

Fun Stats
Books Read: 52
Total Pages Read: 11,867
Audio Book Hours: 223h 0m
Rereads: 15
TBR Challenge: 12/12

2024 Series Stats
In progress: 20
Up to date: 16
On Hold: 5
Completed: 3
Abandoned: 3

Mount TBR
Start 2024: 217
End 2024: ?

TBR Challenge

A new year, a new list - happy 2024! It's a brand new primary list with all the carry overs from last year under the secondary list. Aiming for 12 read.

12/12

Primary
1. Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt Read Jan 24
2. Dragon Heist by Alexander Kane Read Jan 12
3. The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castelle Read Apr 2
4. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson Read Aug 30
5. To Die Fur by Dixie Lyle Read June 17
6. The Wim Hof Method by Wim Hof Read Feb 3
7. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow Read June 23
8. Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews Read June 19
9. A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home by Sue Halpern
10. Nala's World by Dean Nicholson Read Aug 7
11. Scythe by Neil Shusterman
12. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Read June 24

Secondary
1. Terciel & Elinor by Garth Nix
2. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant
3. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh Read May 15
4. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
5. A Cat Named Darwin by William Jordan
6. Someone Like Me by MR Carey
7. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
8. Thud! by Terry Pratchett
9. You Are the Placebo by Joe Dispenza
10. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher Read Feb 22
11. Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
12. My Life in a Cat House by Gwenn Cooper

My Personal Incomplete Series Challenge
Keeping my never-ending series list going for yet another year.

Series Stats Summary
In progress: 20
Up to date: 16
On Hold: 5
Completed: 3
Abandoned: 3

In Progress
Discworld: Rincewind - 6/8
Discworld: City Watch - 6/8
Discworld: Tiffany Aching - 3/5
Discworld: Overall - 33/41
Temeraire - 2/9
Joe Ledger* - 6/10
World of the Five Gods - 2/3
Space Team* - 4/11
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot Mysteries - 2/5
Awaken Online: Tarot* - 1/3
Of Cats and Dragons* - 1/5
Hunter - 1/3
Nathaniel Cade* - 2/3
Spells, Swords and Stealth* - 4/5
Gobbelino London, PI - 3/7
Blasphemy Online - 1/3
Valkerye Collections - 1/2
Beaufort Scales Mysteries - 4/8
Dungeon Crawler Carl* - 5/6
Stormlight Archives Arc 1 - 2/5

Up to date and waiting
The Band - 2/2 - #3 expected 2025
The Brackenford Cycle - 4/4 - #5 TBD
5-minute Sherlock* - 3/3 - #4 TBD
The Witchlands - 4/4 - #5 expected 2025
World of the Others - 3/3 - #4 TBD
Mystwick* - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Locked Tomb - 3/3 - #4 expected 2025
Aurelia Ryder - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Innkeeper Chronicles - 5/5 - #6 TBD
The Wizard's Butler* - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Kate Daniels Wilmington Years - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Dresden Files - 17/17 - #18 TBD
Beware of Chicken* - 3/3 - #4 expected Nov 2024
Murderbot - 7/7 - #8 TBD
The Iron Covenant - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Legends & Lattes - 1.5/1.5 - #2 TBD

Temporarily On Hold While I Try to Reduce my TBR
The Folk of the Air* - 1/3
Awaken Online* - 4/6
The Siege - 1/3
Spellslinger - 1/6
The Darkwater Legacy* - 1/2

Completed in 2024
Threadbare Pt 2* - 3/3
Fractured Fables - 2/2
Abhorsen* - 3/3

Abandoned in 2024
Lighthouse Library Mysteries - 2/4
The Burning - 1/2
Foreigner - 1/22

*Indicates series on audio

I am woefully behind on reviews. Some I've already written but I hate posting them out of order. Let's see how far I can catch up today :)

Hello and good luck with reviews!

>6 quondame: Thanks!

4. Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt



Baking Bad is the first in the Beaufort Scales Mysteries series by Kim M. Watt. A cozy mystery by the author of the Gobbelino London series? And with dragons?? Sign me up!

The story is set in Toot Hansel, a rural village somewhere in England, and is told from four alternating points of view:

• Detective Inspector Adams, recently from London and newly transferred to a (supposedly) less stressful post
• Alice Martin, a retired RAF Wing Commander and current chair of the local Women's Institute
• Miriam, Alice's best friend, a herbalist and a member of the WI
• Mortimer, one of the local dragons

The murder happens right away when the local vicar is discovered dead and the murder weapon appears to be a poisoned cupcake. DI Adams has no idea what she's getting into when the local Women's Institute decides to help with the investigation.

This is a cute cozy mystery. I actually don't like the dragons as much as I thought I would. Their part is what is cutesy and a tad of bit of a turn off. Also one of the main characters is quite a ditz and solved the whole thing by accident! I'm not entirely opposed to that though, sometimes I bumble through things too. I'm still going to read book two and see if this was just the series finding it's narrative legs as I do think it smoothed out and shows promise by the end.

Rating:

5. System Collapse by Martha Wells



Murderbot never fails to deliver. System Collapse has a slow start and then it hits that one point where everything happens all at once with a race to the finish. I'm glad the REDACTED thing got explained mid-way through as it was starting to get annoying hah

I am sad to be all caught up on Murderbot. Fingers crossed it's not a long wait for the next installment.

Rating:

6. The Wim Hof Method by Wim Hof



I have been practicing the breathing technique from the Wim Hof Method off and on for over two years now with great success so I have a bias heading in to reading the book. I saw the book on sale a couple months back and decided to learn the whole method.

The method itself is pretty simple and only takes up the first few chapters of the book. The remainder of the book are testimonials and stories from Wim on how the method is changing peoples lives. There is also an FAQ at the end that I found useful. I believe the method has a lot of potential to help people be healthier. I've experienced health benefits myself from only doing the breath work!

What I had not done was added the cold portion in to my routine yet. On this subject, the book is a success as I am now feeling motivated to get past my aversion to cold and try it out. 3 days in and doing OK so far. Wish me luck everyone!

Rating:

7. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett



Reread 2024: That was enjoyable. The first half of the story is downright hilarious. This drops off for a bit as Pratchett brings story lines together for the finale. I still love Cohen the Barbarian. Original review below.

----------------

The Light Fantastic is the second in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and picks up right where the first book left off. A red star has appeared in the sky and the Disc is heading straight for it. Only one person can save the world. Unfortunately it's the bumbling, incompetent wizard Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the world.

The book is presented in the regular Discworld format and is told as one contiguous story instead of the short story format of the first book. You can still see that Pratchett is still working on his world building as a few of what will become the regular cast are still being worked out. The style is almost to what we'll see in the rest of the series.

It took me a while to get into the book. Things started to pick up for me when Cohen the Barbarian joined the group. Who would've thought you could make an 87 year old twist of Conan be so much fun. And so useful! He definitely steals the scenes he is in and was a lot fun to read about. Also back are Twoflowers and the Luggage. Twoflowers continues to be blissfully ignorant and somehow manages to make it through his adventure ok. The Luggage, while as malevolent as ever, begins to take on a bit more depth as it starts to display some basic emotions. Not bad for an animated object. The story wraps up with a more touching the ending than I had expected.

Rating:

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread!

I think you may have hit on what eventually discouraged me from continuing with the Foreigner series, after 5 books.

Happy New Thread!

You've read good books :)

Happy new thread!

Your reaction to Foreigner was exactly the same as mine. Bren was too whiny and I hated being in his head. Yet the book stuck in my mind, and about 10 years after the first reading I reacquired it and reread it. This time I enjoyed it a lot more and read the next 5 books, which were excellent. More intrigue and external events, less introspection. Now I have to get back into the series with book 7.

>12 haydninvienna:, >13 Karlstar:, >14 Alexandra_book_life:, >15 Sakerfalcon: Thanks everyone!

>13 Karlstar: & >15 Sakerfalcon: - I think want to check out Cherryh's other series. I liked how well she did the alien society. Perhaps a different protagonist will work better for me.

8. Yule Be Sorry by Kim M. Watt



Yule Be Sorry is the second book in the Beaufort Scales Mysteries series by Kim M. Watt. The holidays are fast approaching and Mortimer is having trouble keeping up with the demand for the dragon scale baubles he sells (with Miriam's help) in an Etsy shop. Things are going well up until a rival shop is discovered selling imitation dragon scale baubles that are nothing short of lethal and delivery trucks, with their drivers and contents, start going missing all over the Yorkshire Dales. The Women's Institute is determined to help figure out what's going on while attempting to keep the existence of dragons a secret.

I enjoyed this installment a lot more than the first book. Watt weaves a more complicated story in this one, adding parallel timelines to see what different characters are doing at the same time. I like that we're shown more varieties of folk, the name for the magical creatures that are part of our world but mostly unnoticed by humanity. We are also given insight into dragon society in a secondary plot thread. Watt wraps everything up well and gives us an exciting and action filled ending. It reminded me of an ending more in line with the Gobbelino books in the utter chaos of it all. It was glorious. I'm hoping DI Adams takes Collins' offer to transfer up to that area seriously. Seems to be the way things are leaning anyway.

Rating:

Edit to fix the touchstone.

>16 Narilka: I highly recommend the Chanur books. They made me a fan of Cherryh.

>18 Sakerfalcon: The first book is now on my Wishlist :)

Happy new thread! I am also cold averse, however I am willing to bundle up and walk on the beach in just about any kind of weather. Are you swimming in cold water? 🥶

>20 clamairy: Nope! I am doing as the book recommends and using a shot of cold water at the end of a my nice hot shower :D It says that you get health benefits in as little as 1-2 minutes of cold. The best I've done is 1m 15s. And I still have days where I'm done after 10 seconds lol

I've finally decided what to read next. For my regular read, it's Eric and on audio it's The Gate of the Feral Gods.

9. The Phantom of the Lop Ear by Andrew Seiple



Once upon a time there was a teddybear who had been kidnapped (bearnapped?) by pirates. It was supposed to be a proper princess kidnapping, but things went a bit sideways. Now Threadbare must play along in order to uncover who the mastermind is that has been working from the shadow to manipulate events and buy himself enough time for his friends to attempt a rescue.

The Phantom of the Lop Ear is the fifth book in Andrew Seiple's Threadbare series. The story has gotten complicated and follows several plot threads. Threadbare's is the most straight forward as he attempting to keep the status quo and keep the pirates from tossing him overboard. The group back in Sylvania is working frantically to find threadbare and mount a rescue. Plus there's PoV scenes from the conspirators from the first book for glimpses of what is happening in the background to cause these events to happen. Even with all that I'm still not entirely sure who the "bad guys" are though pretty confident it involves players. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up in the final book. I hope the elf is right and that they can heal two worlds.

As before, this includes characters from Small Medium but not much from Blasphemy Online yet. I assume that's still coming.

Rating:

10. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett



Reread 2024: I can't believe my first and only time reading this one was back in 2009. I'm glad to have reread it. I had forgotten that ending. Absolutely loved Granny's sort of romance with the Arch Chancellor lol And no female wizards because of lore! Plus Headology :D As always I enjoyed Pratchett's societal commentary that pops up often in the Discworld.

Rating:

The Gate of the Feral Gods Ch 4. Woah. That was seriously fucked up. I know that they need to take out Lucia Mar at some point but, holy shit, that's going to be hard. Maybe the dungeon will take care of that for Carl and crew but I doubt it. Donut's right, Lucia is insane.

On the flip side, if they can meet up with that Aussie guy he'd be a powerful ally.

"You will not break me."

Eric @ 13% Good old million to one odds. Coming through every time! lol

I feel bad for the kid. Summoning Rincewind would be a disappointment.

@ 79% It's funny how the wishes are backfiring. King of the World was going to be a sacrifice for the Discworldian Aztecs and how the Most Beautiful Woman was the Discworldian Helen of Troy and she's merely average. Just goes to show lol "Be careful what you wish for" and all that.

Not as laugh out loud funny as the previous Rincewind books but at least it is entertaining.

And finished. My favorite part is demons learning how to be more evil from humans and creating... paperwork lol

The Gate of the Feral Gods through Ch 15 How does it get even more fucked up??? I mean, holy crap, Maggie Mai taking the brain worm race just so she can infect one of Carl's friends and have him attempt to kill Carl? And being supported by those Skull Empire idiots??? Thank god that Katya's sponsor is helping to mitigate.

I'm also glad to see a little of the original Xev showing through her conditioning.

And of course the system AI gave them the quest for the Gate just after hearing it's full back story. Sounds like a neat, game breaking artifact.

The Gate of the Feral Gods ch 19. Wow! That really changed things. Carl found a way to fight back against the system!!! And no one really knows for sure, that was so well played. I really hope to see more of this :) "You will not break me. I will break you." He seems to have a shot.

Hell, now I'm rethinking the need to kill Lucia Mar. If she wasn't insane they could possibly work together. Not that they can say or type anything as part of planning. That would be a very tough one. I could also see Carl enlisting the NPCs. Ok, Lucia still needs to go.

I had family visiting this week. As we took several longer drives to activities, I started Project Hail Mary for us to listen to. They loved it :) We got to Ch 13 and they bought a copy for themselves to read on the way home so they can find out how it all ends :D And now I need to finish it after I wrap up DCC 4 lol

For my physical book I've gone back to wrap up Pyramids. I'm still not feeling grabbed by the story. I hope it picks up for me in Part 2.

Pyramids through Part 1 - This quote made me giggle:

"Her singing always cheered him up. Life seemed so much brighter when she stopped."

I'm feeling more engaged now that the old Pharaoh has died and Teppic is picking up the mantle.

The Gate of the Feral Gods a couple minutes in to Ch 28 So funny. Donut got some exp but upset she didn't get a boss box since she stayed on the surface lol And I guess sharktopus is copyright so they're octosharks? I can't wait to see what Carl got in that gold boss box. I'm not sure I like the live event format. Seems like it would be super distracting for the crawlers trying to stay alive. But so many views...

And they won a litigation x7! Were they all about the feral gods? Seems like that's when it happened - when he got the final part of the gate.

I'm sad for Juice Box and the other NPCs as they wake up to their reality. It is helping build the story that they could help Carl's overall goal in the future though I'm not sure how.

The Gate of the Feral Gods finished Ch 28 Very interesting prizes. I have a feeling all those photos will be useful somehow, likely in his overall plan to break the system. Unless it's a set up for the 9th floor like Mordecai thinks. I don't think the ai is as insane as they think. At least not yet.

Damn. Carl has basically screwed everyone in releasing the feral gods.

The Gate of the Feral Gods 7 minutes in Ch 31 Even though it's a game and not real and it's complicated with the NPC/Gods and how they work, I am pissed at the AI giving those idiots a quest to kill the puppy :( I also keep wondering when Carl will use the Doomsday Scenario and just take everyone out at once, though I suppose that's best saved for lower levels. I really hope Carl and Donut can save the puppy.

Half way through Ch 33 Donut's right, Carl is crazy lol I'm glad they saved the puppy. Too bad he had to worship a deity to do it but it worked. Those are two interesting quests he got too. I guess we'll see how that plays out in future books. I also imagine he's hanging on to Quan's arm to return it to him... maybe?

It's nice he's still trying to save everyone even if they're still losing people to random crap. I don't imagine many crawlers survive in general.

The Gate of the Feral Gods And finished. Holy hell that epilogue. I seriously did not expect Bea to be alive. That's nuts. I had a feeling the cat the hunters were after was Ferdinand. Odette capturing them both... I wanted to like her but, yeah, she's just another part of this crappy world. Poor Carl and Donut.

I'm guessing floor 6 has dinosaurs. They got dino repellent potions a few times this round.

I am sad that Katya is planning to leave the party. Hopefully it's not forever. Looking forward to how guilds work.

Plots within plots. I'm liking the bigger picture stuff.

Next up I'll be revisiting Sabriel. I love Tim Curry's narration of this. I forget whose thread the article was in... apparently this is my year for rereads :D

Pyramids Finished Part 2 Dopplegang LOL Loved how the workers looped to create more of themselves so they could rest and send themselves to work lol The timey wimey bits are my favorite part.

Obviously Dios is using Pyramid power to keep himself functional.

Camels are smart!

Sabriel I'm through Ch 4 and had forgotten the old world feel of Ancelstier. WWI Europe seems about right.

As much as I love Tim Curry's narration, he's rubbish at very young girls lol I'm glad that Sabriel's over the wall already.

>36 Narilka: I started the Tim Curry narration for the second book in that series, and had a bit of trouble with it. Normally I love him but it wasn't working for me. I wonder if there are any other versions available now.

>37 clamairy: I've never looked to see if there are other recordings. After those first few chapters, his narration smooths out for me in this first book. It will be interesting if I have similar reaction to book 2.

>38 Narilka: It was early in the days of OverDrive and I think a glitch catapulted me about one third of the way into the book, and left me very confused. That was over a decade ago. I need to read a summary of book one, and try again.

>39 clamairy: Ouch. That would make for a bad listening experience no matter the narrator.

Pyramids part 3 I think the camel is my favorite part lol love how he's doing math to figure everything out. Plus he found a way to the pocket dimension!

And finished. I liked the ending. Just wish it hadn't taken so long to hook me.

>41 Narilka: The camel is the best part of the book! :)

Sabriel through ch 11 Ahhh, Mogget! So great :) This is where Tim Curry's narration shines. I'm also reminded that the story moves along nicely.

For my regular reading, I opted for a cozy mystery: To Die Fur.

I finished To Die Fur. It's a fun cozy mystery heavy on the supernatural elements. It had been a few years since I'd read the first book so I'm glad the author included a very short recap of the setting as part of the story. There were two mysteries being solved in this one. The ending has a lot of action that kept me up reading late to finish.

Next up is Iron and Magic.

I'm going to be a bit scarce as I handle family stuff again. Mom's health turn a downward turn last week. She is better in some ways and worse in others when I spoke to her yesterday.

>44 Narilka: Oh, it looks like I paused my reading of Ilona Andrews' series before this one came out. Well, except for Innkeeper Chronicles!

>45 quondame: Iron and Magic is a spin off series in the Kate Daniels universe. While it does stand well enough on it's own, there are some spoilers for Kate Daniels either book 8 or 9. I'd have to go look at my old reviews to remember which.

Visit to mom went well. She ended up with septic shock for the second time and has pulled through for the second time. It's both amazing and concerning. She was well on the road to recovery when I left and I'd seen visible improvement in her strength by the end of my visit. So back into a holding pattern again.

While away I finished 5 books!!

Iron and Magic was an interesting addition to the Kate Daniels universe. It's very different than KD in tone, which I both appreciated and also didn't like in areas. I am invested enough that I want to find out how Hugh's arc ends and especially want to know what myth Elara is based on. My current guess is some kind of cosmic horror but not Cthulu-verse. I'll have to do some searching at some point. As this is a planned 3 book arc, hopefully it will be revealed and I can see if my guesses are correct in the future :)

Unstoppable Brain is a fascinating look at current neuroscience around how failure works in our brain, how an area of the brain contributes to what the author calls the Failure Matrix and strategies to get around the brain's default mode. I really enjoyed this. No idea why LT has the author's name listed like it does. I'll have to see if I can help correct the work's page.

A Spindle Splintered and A Mirror Mended are a duo of Fractured Fables that are modern feminist twists on Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Both are short novellas and fast reads. I enjoyed the first one more than the second though both were fun.

And I finally read Legends & Lattes. Ahhh, such a nice cozy fantasy story. I'll have to pick up the prequel at some point and see if the author is planning any other sequels.

I think next up is my continued Discworld reread with Moving Pictures.

>47 Narilka: Hope there will be answers as well as healing for your mama.

>47 Narilka: Sending hugs and strength to you and your mom.

>48 MrsLee:, >49 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you both. It is appreciated :)

Lirael through Ch 8 Ooof, so much teenage angst! I'm glad we don't wallow in it with Lirael for too long. Not sure I could take an entirely angsty book lol

I wish the library of the Clayr was a place I could go explore. Lucky Lirael!

Moving Pictures around 10% I'd forgotten this was where Archancellor Ridcully was introduced. I had thought it was earlier in the series. He sure shakes up the UU staff lol Poor Bursar, he's not the same after this if I remember right.

Off to Holy Wood we go...

A quote from Moving Pictures that seems appropriate for the Pub:

"You can't give or take elephants, boss," said M'Bu firmly. He knew that counting elephants was a precision job. A man might be uncertain about how many wives he had but never about elephants. Either you had one, or you didn't.

#theresalwaysanelephant

>47 Narilka: Oh no. Well, at least she responded to the treatment, but do they have any idea what's causing it? Hang in there.

>53 clamairy: They do. Both times were caused by a UTI. The first time she'd been diagnosed with a UTI 4 months prior that we're guessing either never fully cleared or cleared and came back. The second time the UTI wasn't caught at all so we're not sure how long she had it, though doctors guess it was a shorter time frame because she'd been to the hospital a month earlier for a routine test and at that time she was UTI negative.

>54 Narilka: Ugh. Are there any preventative measures you can take? I remember my husband took cranberry supplements for a while. I think they helped a little bit.

>52 Narilka:. Well-spotted.

>55 clamairy: Maybe? She's in a skilled nursing facility due to other conditions and her supplements/medications are fairly controlled. One of the other kids has medical POA - I'll discuss it with them and see if we can do something. It can't hurt to try :) We can definitely send her care packages of cranberry juice. Thanks for the idea.

I finished Moving Pictures. It was an entertaining reread and fairly stand alone in the series. It also features several characters that will be regular popups in the future, which I did not catch on my first read through.

I have no idea what I want to read next.

After most of a week of not reading much I lucked out at the library and picked up Bookshops and Bonedust :)

Bookshops & Bonedust through ch 11. This is very much the same feel as L&L so far, which is great! I am enjoying Viv's convalescence by visiting the bookstore daily. Sounds like what I would want to do! Or at least have someone bring me new books every few days :D I see this is where she meets at least part of her new adventuring group and I'm wondering if the mysterious elf that's giving her bad vibes is the guy who's name I can't remember but was the antagonist of L&L. I'm also hoping that Viv helps Fern turn the shop around to make a profit.

Bookshops & Bonedust through ch 23 I was very wrong in my speculation hah I guess we'll be seeing that Varine eventually if her henchmen are in/around town. And it seems Fern likes the homunculus's help. I wonder if the necromancer can sense her creation when it's in use?

Lirael through part 2. Events are speeding up. Not a whole lot of book left for Sam and Lirael to meet up. I can't wait for the Dog and Mogget's introduction :D I don't remember if they make it to rescue Nicolas in this book or the next though.

>62 Narilka: You're reminding me that I need to get Lirael.

>63 Karlstar: I hope you enjoy it when you do :)

I finished Lirael this morning and quite enjoyed it. The Dog and Mogget absolutely steal every scene they're in and I love it. The story ends on a bombshell reveal and is definitely only half the story. I'll be following up with Abhorsen soon.

Before I do... I started Project Hail Mary when family was in town (and hooked them on it, see post #29) so I'm going to finish it up before Abhorsen.

I also finished Bookshops & Bonedust. It's a little more adventure mixed in with the cozy parts but still highly enjoyable. I liked meeting a younger Viv. I hope that epilogue is a hint at what a L&L sequel could have in store. If so, I'm looking forward to it.

>59 Narilka: Yay!
>65 Narilka: I can't wait for another installment, either!

I moved on to A House with Good Bones. I'm through ch 13 and keep thinking This could be over if someone would just rip out all the roses from the garden. Unless that's not the source of the haunting. Hmm.

>67 Narilka: There's a lot of fun to be found in T. Kingfisher's novella. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

>67 Narilka: Enjoy. That book was my first Kingfisher, and now she's on my 'new favorites' list.

>68 jillmwo: & >69 clamairy: Definitely. This has been more humor than horror right up until ch 19 and dead Grandma has appeared. I figured she was part of the haunting but did not expect her to make an appearance! High probability I will finish this tonight.

Yep, I finished. That was great! I was on the right track but had it backwards hah I'm glad everyone came out ok in the end. Those underground children were very creepy.

Next up is Reaper Man. The last time I read it was in 2011. I'm not sure I remember much of the story. Should be fun :)

>72 Narilka: Reaper Man was the first Terry Prachett that had me rolling on the floor and turned me from a reader to a buy at first sight fan.

I finished Project Hail Mary. It's just as wonderful on reread. Such a hopeful and uplifting book.

Next on audio is The Butcher's Masquerade. Sneaking in DCC 5 before finishing up the Abhorsen trilogy.

>73 quondame: I'm at 10% in. Love this quote, it's so true:

"...it's just that life is a habit that's hard to break..."

I absolutely had the same mental problem as Albert - how does death come for Death?? Made my head hurt to consider. I'm also imagining there's going to be mad chaos without Death doing his job. Great job auditors hah

>72 Narilka: DEATH is a wonderful character. Enjoy.

>75 Narilka: It's a good pair with Mile's Vorkosigan's comment about habits in A Civil Campaign.

>74 Narilka: Glad you enjoyed it again. Such a great book.

>78 Karlstar: I hope they do a good translation on the movie that's in the works. Fingers crossed they get Rocky right!

Reaper Man around 36% I'm enjoying the antics of the UU staff. It reminds me a bit of the last book that way. Windle playing zombie and freaking out those un-guilded thieves lol

Also Reaper Man, Pratchett has invented a word that describes a relative of mine:

Autocondimentor*

*Someone who will put certainly salt and probably pepper on any meal you put in front of them whatever it is and regardless of how much it's got on it already and regardless of how it tastes.

Oh my lol We'd gone to a restaurant together with said relative and watched in odd fascination how they put salt on every single forkful of food they ate.

>81 Narilka: Good word, I'll try to remember that one. Most of my relatives do not use that much salt, but there's always a debate about ketchup.

The Butcher's Masquerade So funny how Carl is in trouble immediately and it's not his fault! The game let him have the Gate pieces so it wasn't against the rules. He was smart to ask for a lawyer. I hope he gets something good for his troubles.

through ch 15. Wow. That was vigorous velociraptor sex lol Not sure I ever needed to read about that!

So I've been listening to book 2 with my husband and we just finished up the part with Grimaldy's circus and Signet's story which dovetailed to where I'm at in Butcher nicely. It helps it be fresh in my memory. I'm interested to see just how Carl and Donut can spice up the Vengeance of the Daughter show. I don't doubt that they will. Harder will be to not outshine the star.

I'm also very curious about the Butcher's Masquerade. I'm not sure if I think it's just going to be a wild party for those with the highest hunter counts that survive the floor or if there will be butchering involved like a big trap.

I'm also interested to see how guilds end up working out. Seems like it could be highly beneficial if they can get it set up right.

Ch 19. Holy shit! I can't believe that just happened. I'm very glad that Odette warned them ahead of time so they could decide. I'm so proud of Donut telling off Bea. And "viva la revolution"??? OMG. That's world changing.

Naughty Mongo!

>84 Darth-Heather: Not sure I can blame him though lol

Through Ch 27 I'm also enjoying Samantha more than I thought. They've just started the assault on that castle for Signet and Samantha is cracking me up lol She's expanded from "I kill your mother!" The whole line that seemed a riff on the popular Conan quote was awesome.

I finished Reaper Man last night. I found it more enjoyable on reread than the first time through, enough that I think I'll bump my rating up to 4 stars. I found the ending with Death and Miss Flitworth quite touching. Other thoughts Funny how the Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents is mentioned. I wonder if Pratchett had the idea for that story back then or if it was just a name that eventually grew into a story.

Also the reference to the Morris Dance which features prominently in a much later Tiffany Aching book.

Plenty of references to Elm Street heh

I enjoyed letting the UU staff out and about. The Dean sure had a lot of fun with magic and making things blow up hah Bonsai!

The creation of the Death of Rats :)

The Butcher's Masquerade through ch 37 How is that not cheating? Carl asking the audience for tips on how to kill the mantis's in the dungeon. I don't mind, he needs all the help he can get, but I'm surprised it wasn't stopped. Thank you benefactor lady! Also really glad Carl saw Donut's note right as he got ported or he'd have hit Lucia's trap. Ugh.

Ch 47 & 48 Miriam :( And that asshole AI :( The author has really gotten me to care about these characters. I hope they team up with Prepotente and he doesn't go berserk.

The Butcher's Masquerade through ch 57 Other sponsors keep sending Donut items. I'm thinking it's to help her win in the fight against Ferdinand. Win as in kill him or bring him back to himself, I'm not sure.

I still don't think the AI has gone insane. Gone rogue is more like it. I don't think it likes the creators any more than any of the crawlers do. It also doesn't like that the hunters are all a bunch of pansies lol

I sure hope Donut's idea for the talent show works.

I switched to an ARC read of Morrigan's Ravens. It's a paranormal thriller novella and the first in what will be the author's Shae O'Rourke series. I enjoyed the novella. It's short at just under 100 pages so the characters have just enough background to get you into the story and let your imagination fill in some of the blanks. Shae is a form FBI hostage rescue agent who receives a call that her brother and father have gone missing so she's off to investigate what happened. The author was inspired by some current events and blended them with an interesting mix of mythology for a fairly dark tale. It has a bittersweet ending though I think Shae has a bit of hope. I'm curious where things will take Shae next.

Next up, Nala's World.

>88 Narilka: ohmygod I forgot about the talent show! you're going to love this part :)

>90 Darth-Heather: I finished. That was bonkers! Mongo doing the moonwalk hahahaha And Donut finally got her chance to sing! Loved the recital for Tina too.

I'm surprised that Carl was able to tell Signet the truth and she sort of accepted it in a fairly short time with some help. I'm also not sure if she's dead dead since things can stay stuck in the void can't they? Or is that just for the feral gods?

And that epilogue! OMG!! Prepotente broke a whole level and Katya has that stupid crown. I really hope Carl figures out a way to break the system and get around having to kill Katya because if it's a choice between her or Donut, Carl will choose Donut.

Edit to add... Even better might have been those credits with Donut doing her improv. I don't know if that was written in the book or added on for the audio but it was hilarious.

I finally started Abhorsen this morning. DCC gave me a book hangover, I basically haven't read anything since finishing.

>91 Narilka: Donut's improv was in the book too, love it! I'm glad the author works in some light stuff occasionally to offset how dark the larger story is. Tina's story arc was a great resolution for sure. Prepotente is so broken after losing Miriam.>

>93 Darth-Heather: That's cool that Donut's improv was in the book. Yeah, Prepotente is in a bad state. And he's frightfully intelligent. Hope Carl can get him on their side. It seems like Pony would be very helpful with Carl's larger plans to break the system.

I finished Nala's World today. It was absolutely heartwarming to read about Dean rescuing a little kitten while cycling to see the world. It covers their first year and a half together, ending in spring 2020 just as the world was shutting down. Dean and Nala had a lot of adventures together. I hope there's a follow up book at some point.

Next up is The Way of Kings. Yep, I'm going to do one Stormlight a month up to the new release in December :)

I also notice I'm horribly behind on proper reviews again. I have sporadically written some already but not all of them hah I'm going to try and catch up a little today.

11. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher



Swordheart is a romantic fantasy adventure by T. Kingfisher. Technically set in The World of the White Rat, the story stands well on its own though I understand there are some character cross overs if you've read more in the shared universe. Which I haven't yet and definitely intend to.

Halla, heir to her late great-uncles fortune, finds herself trapped in her own house as others in the family attempt to steal Halla's inheritance. Not knowing what else to do, Halla pulls down and draws the sword that was decorating the wall of her bedroom only to find that it is enchanted with the spirit of a warrior who is now bound to protect her. The warrior, Sarkis, discovers that he is in for a much different experience that he's used to as he attempts to keep Halla safe.

This story was laugh out loud funny and a joy to read. Halla was delightful, a middle aged woman protagonist, with her millions of questions and an uncanny ability to weaponize inane chatter. Sarkis has an interesting history that's slowly revealed and he ends up a wonderful match for Halla. Even the side characters were great, a lawyer priest named Zale and wagon driver Brindle who shouldn't have been as interesting as he was. Classic Kingfisher with the quirky and creative supporting cast. While this story is self contained I'm glad the author is planning sequels as I am very curious as what's going on with the other swords.

Rating:

12. The Wisdom of the Council by Sara Landon



The Wisdom of the Council is a spirituality book that borders close to religion in spots so I'm not going to say much other than I'm glad I read it and it gave me a lot to ponder.

Rating:

13. A Manor of Life and Death by Kim M. Watt



A Manor of Life and Death is the third book in the Beaufort Scales Mysteries series by Kim M. Watt. The Toot Hansell Women’s Institute has invited DI Adams to a weekend away at a spa for some yoga and relaxation. Adams is wondering if she may have made a mistake even before a body is discovered and a bad storm hits the area, cutting the manor-turned-resort off from the rest of the world. Never mind dealing with an invisible dog. What else could go wrong?

"Meow. Meow meow meow." That cracked me up so much.

The story is zany fun with so much misdirection, rain and Botox but not near enough cake. The chaotic action of the climax was spectacular. This is my favorite in the series so far. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Rating:

14. The Case of the Felonious Faire by Drew Hayes



The World's Greatest Detective and his Watson are on the case in The Case of the Felonious Faire, the third book in the 5-minute Sherlock series by Drew Hayes. "When a fiendish fraudster has been fomenting financial falsehoods, who can find the finagler?" That is the question that gets Sherman Holmes and Joel Watson hired to investigate a Renaissance Faire's crooked books. With the initial evidence pointing directly at their client, it will take some creative investigating, and cosplay participation, to prove their client's innocence.

That was a lot of fun. The author sure loves his alliteration! It's peppered throughout the book. Sherman's unique style of speaking really works while "in character" at a Renaissance Faire. I love how vendors and visitors just roll with it assuming it's all part of the fabulous faire fun and not just Sherman being Sherman. It's nice that Watson got to lean into his protector role while being "in character" too.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Scott Aiello. You can tell he's having fun with narrating this series.

That ending has me intrigued. There is a much bigger plot afoot. I'm glad this series is going to be continuing.

Rating:

15. Mort by Terry Pratchett



Reread 2024: My goodness it's been a while since I've read Death's first book! This had a lot of commentary about humanity about it that I enjoyed as we join Death as he attempts to figure us humans out. Such an amazing job Pratchett has done about writing from an 'other' point of view. Mort gradually becoming more real than reality was profound too. I am enjoying my reread of the series.

Rating:

>95 Narilka: Adding Nala’s World to the wishlist. A friend of mine was just asking for something uplifting to read after finishing a depressing book. This sounds like something I could recommend to her.

>102 ludmillalotaria: Absolutely. Especially if she likes cats.

>95 Narilka: Wow, that is a big commitment, one of those books a month. I read the first one and couldn't bring myself to commit to the rest. :)

>104 MrsLee: I am going on the assumption that I won't hate them lol though their length is intimidating. I don't remember the last time I read anything over 1k pages.

I was curious so searched. I got very close when reading the Fitz & the Fool trilogy in 2019. Book 3 Assassins Fate is 946 pages.

Abhorsen through ch 9 I forgot this one starts off with a literal bang. It sets the pace nicely. Which is good since Lirael and Sam have a lot of ground to cover, literally and figuratively.

Poor Nick. I can see why he'd think he was dreaming with the giant owl and flying dog in his tent lol

>105 Narilka: I definitely did not hate it; I have trouble these days committing to a new world like that. Ten years ago I would have welcomed it.

>97 Narilka: This book was so wonderful and fun! I am glad you enjoyed it too :)))

>108 MrsLee: That's good to hear! I'll be commenting along for the whole book so maybe it will inspire you to pick up the second with me :D If not, that's ok too :)

>109 Alexandra_book_life: Have you read any of the other books in the White Rat universe?

The Way of Kings I've finished the prelude, prologue and first chapter. Possible Cosmere connection. The art for the chapter header for Kaladin, even though it's a ring of spears, it is awfully reminiscent of one of the metal symbols from Mistborn. I'm thinking that's not an accident. Hell, Szeth's lashing reminds me a lot of pulls/pushes from Mistborn too. Also how he holds the stormlight with his breath is reminding me of Warbreaker.

Quick question too How important is it to remember the names of the people in that prelude? I imagine they'll be important later but it's a lot to take in learning this new world.

For those that haven't followed my reading for years... this is my first time through the Stormlight Archives and its novellas. I have read the rest of the Cosmere and love looking for the easter eggs and connections that tie the series together.

>111 Narilka: I will be following your comments, but I haven't read it since it came out and don't remember much. I gave the book to one of my nieces.

>110 Narilka: I've also read Paladin's Grace and Paladin's Strength and enjoyed both of them very much :)

>107 Narilka: I need to get back to this series, I enjoyed the first one.

The Way of Kings Ch 6 I've heard mention of Bridge 4 a lot over the years. Somehow I never thought it was a literal thing! Literally carrying Bridge #4 across a battle. That's rough.

>113 Alexandra_book_life: I might need to move those up in my to read list.

The Way of Kings finished Part 1 I'm curious about Kaladin's spren. Is she going to bond with him?

I'm not sure what I think about Shallan yet. Her audacious plan seems foolhardy at best. RAFO!

Of the two I'm enjoying Kaladin's story line more.

First interludes Well that was awful. Shallan's family is moderately horrible and now I feel bad for Szeth.

I'm in the middle of Ch 15 and still getting a feel for the new characters.

The Way of Kings Ch 19 Now I'm intrigued with Dalinar's story line. Something is trying to communicate about something important with these visions. I know, I know. RAFO :)

I think I may have Sanderson's The Way of Kings on my Kindle. Perhaps I'll try that before the year's out.

>119 jillmwo: Cool! I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try.

I finished Abhorsen today. That ending gets me right in the feels when the dog leaves. I know she's not dead but still! I'm glad I did my reread.

The Way of Kings Ch 21 epigraph, Cosmere spoiler/conjecture... Sel is Elantris. It's been a really long time since I read it. Hoid's the only world hopper we saw there right? The Emperor's Soul was published after Way of Kings so... I think another epigraph could've referenced him too in Part 2 though I didn't note it. Or they all do? I may go back and reread all of them together after finishing this section.

Through Ch 25. Something I've been thinking about for a few chapters now. The whole making his spheres go dull in one day has had me thinking. Is Kaladin like Szeth? Can he absorb stormlight and not know it? Is that where his "luck" comes from? More RAFO I'm sure.

The Way of Kings Finished Part 2 and the second set of interludes Just as I was feeling hooked by Dalinar's story the section ends and it's going to be several hundred pages to get back to him.

I liked all 3 interludes a lot this time. Wish we could see all these characters again. There is so much more to this world than the war.

Ch 32 This just got more depressing. Kaladin finally figures out how to prevent his bridgemen from dying and is punished for it because it hurt the army. So stupid.

The Way of Kings Through Ch 40 It's nice I got confirmation that Kaladin definitely absorbs stormlight. Now to get him hooked up with Szeth or someone who can show him how to control it and then use it. And, you know, actually move some plot along in this story.

I'm feeling ambivalent about Shallan's story line. She's obviously has seen/done some things in her past that she's not proud of and now stealing the magical thingy isn't helping. I do find it interesting how Sanderson has set up her moral crisis. Based on the last picture she drew I'm wondering if she killed father or if she just witnessed his murder. I suspect I won't find out until we get the book with Shallan flash backs but we will see.

This book has way too many pages to go still.

Ch 45 Seems that Shallan has a shardblade. Very very interesting. And some other access to magic? Does she also absorb stormlight without knowing? Hmm. No, she's not absorbing stormlight. The spheres were still giving off light. Soulcasting must be powered by soul? Is the name that obvious? Or will the gems of the soulcaster be drained without wearing it, just being in her pocket? I don't remember if they were recharged or not.

The Way of Kings Ch 48 And that settles that. Shallan did absorb stormlight from a sphere in her pocket. And of course it switches POV just as I want to know what happens next.

I'm seriously debating to start reading each character's section straight through though this might wreck the grand finale.

Finished part 3 Seems that the epigraphs were all from Jasnah's research.

Kaladin's last flashback is what I expected after discovering he killed a shardbearer. He should've picked up the blade. Would've made for a whole different story. Perhaps he won't make the same mistake if he kills another bearer in the future. Not that he really needs a shard if he's like Szeth and can learn to control his gift. If Teft will actually talk to him about it.

Also not surprised that Jasnah is sending Shallan home. I really wish Shallan had shown her drawings of the shape heads to Jasnah though. Seems like an opportunity missed to get a scholar's opinion while it was available. Are those things what Jasnah is looking for? Perhaps Shallan will put two and two together and realize she doesn't need the soulcaster since she did the transformation with a sphere. I'm guessing that will be a future book since she's not in part 4 if it's going to happen.

I think Kaladin's missing out on an opportunity to ask Syl more questions. I like their conversations but they're too few.

The Way of Kings Through Ch 59 YAY! Teft and Syl have finally gotten Kaladin on the right path with absorbing stormlight! So glad to see that moving forward and he's starting to experiment a little.

Less than 200 pages to the so hopefully the main convergence starts in short order.

A small rant. I've found this to be a frustrating read so far because I'm STILL waiting for the plot to start. I really have no idea the purpose or any clue where this is going and have been assured by others that the last 200ish pages make things more clear. In every other fantasy epic I remember reading you had a general idea from the first few chapters where things are going even if it ends up chaining direction or expanding over time. Plus I haven't found that "hook" to make this unputdownable.

It figures lol The Way of Kings Ch 60- I found the plot! It figures that after finally typing out my frustrations that the plot would appear. Seems we're in a "save humanity from the end of days" story.

The Way of Kings I'm in Ch 62 Kaladin and crew have retrieved the Parshendi body they stashed and are about to start another charge with the bridge. My speculation is he's going to use that corpse to keep the Parshendi from shooting at his bridge crew since they don't like disturbing their dead. That he put Shen at the end of the bridge to not get upset shows he's figured out that the Parshendi people do revere their dead though differently than the Alethi. Time to see if I'm anywhere close at all :D

Continuing Ch 62. Oh my, that was even better :) Kaladin wearing the corpse lol I didn't see that coming at all! This might be my favorite part of the book so far. Let's see what he pulls off - utter disaster or brilliant diversion.

Ch 62 was pretty awesome. Brilliant diversion it is. Now to see how the aftermath plays out. Even with the praise from Sadeas... No good deed and all that.

Apparently this is a foundational book - as in laying the foundation for what's to come for the rest of the series. It's mostly world building along with character introductions.

>127 Narilka: For all that I read the whole thing, I don't remember any of this!

>128 MrsLee: That doesn't surprise me. The book is 85% world/character building, 10% plot and 5% setting up for the next book. I finished today. The ending was fantastic. The journey... very, very slow and methodical. I am really hoping that it's only the first book like this and that the main world building/setting will be out of the way so more plot can happen because those final 10 chapters were actually gripping and I really want to find out what happens next. I am happy that I was right about Shallan killing her father. We'll see if her pov pans out better than another friend has has indicated (he hates the character) though she seems more the Machiavellian type at the moment. 3.5 stars from me.

I started Witches Abroad as my next book. The quotes are already rolling in. I love Pratchett :) From page 2:

People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around.

>130 Narilka: Yay! I love revisiting stories I've loved through your reading notes.

>130 Narilka: Hurray for Pratchett :)))

>52 Narilka:
I am so proud of your Elephant Awareness. Thank you for this quote.

#thereisalwaysanelephant

I'm glad you guys are enjoying my random thoughts :)

Witches Abroad @ 7% Desiderata tricking the poacher into not looking in the package after her death was classic headology :D Made me laugh lol

>133 pgmcc: It was an honor ;) It's amazing how elephants can be found just about everywhere if you're willing to look.

>135 Narilka:
I am amazed how often they pop up whenever you’re not looking.
:-)

Witches Abroad @ 18% A fun nod to Tolkien :) Gollum probably didn't expect that when he decided to follow the witches down a river lol

Witches Abroad Around 27% Greebo freeing the town by eating the vampire in bat form LOL And Granny thinking they're rejoicing because a harsh landlord died! Not that she pays rent...

I am loving Nanny's, ah, skill with foreign languages. "Hey mister, jigajig toot sweet all the same No. 3" hah!

31% The description of the Witches ruining the running of the bulls, plus Greebo cornering a bull to figure out how to play with, had me laughing :)

Genua doesn't stand a chance once these ladies arrive.

Witches abroad is one of my favourite Discworld books. It never fails to make me laugh.

Witches Abroad @ 50% Pratchett is having fun with stories! The Witches have strolled through and improved Sleeping Beauty (OMG so much dust to clean lol), Red Riding Hood (that poor wolf, loved how they improved grandma's life) and the Wizard of Oz. Nanny's hat should win an award for the most durable hat in literature! Dwarves seeking ruby colored boots lol Greebo might have found his match in a house falling on him, poor kitty.

Lilith seems to be taking a page from Cinderella transforming mice into people. Let's see how many other fairy tales and stories she's mucked around with.

Witches Abroad @ 70% So Genua is a cross between the Emerald City and New Orleans. I think. Interesting mix.

Well done Pratchett. I got the Cinderella thing right but the animal wrong hah So is that also what the Duc is?

Too bad Magrat didn't try moving any of those dials on her wand. Such an easy change to get away from pumpkins.

I'm wondering if there will be any other myth appearances or if we're sticking with Cinderella for the remainder.

Witches Abroad Hmm.

"I remember," said Nanny. "Them girls in the spangly tights and the fellows pourin' whitewash down their trousers. Never saw a elephant, though. They said there'd be elephants and there wasn't any..."

#stilllookingfortheelephant - I bet it's like Chekhov's elephant and we find one in the final act :D

I finished Witches Abroad today. That was highly enjoyable. Absolutely loved the final show down between Granny/Lily/Gogal. Granny using Gogal's belief against her was brilliant. I imagine Lily will be stuck in the mirror worlds for a very long time.

Next up it's Stormlight 2, The Words of Radiance.

I almost forgot!

The very last line of Witches Abroad:

But they went the long way and saw the elephant.

#thereisalwaysanelephant

I also finished The Dark Refrain. It's a fun continuation of the The Mystwick School of Musicraft a middle grade series. Amelia's Mystwick class heads to Salzburg, Austria on a class trip to learn some musical history and the kids get caught up in time magic that dumps Amelia, Jai, and Darby in the year 1765. Shenanigans ensue as they work to figure out a way home. It ended up being a more touching story than I thought it would be with strong themes about family. The audio narration kicks it up a notch with original orchestral music throughout the book which adds depth to the story and Suzy Jackson's narration. Hopefully there will be a fourth book forthcoming. This is currently available in the Audible Plus catalog.

Next on audio will be Not Till We Are Lost. I've missed the Bobs.

>145 Narilka: I am looking forward to the new Bobiverse book :))) I'll just wait until other editions are available.

>145 Narilka: & >146 Alexandra_book_life: I didn't realize there was a new one! I think this time I'm going to find summaries to read before I listen. Last time I went in blind and I had forgotten a lot.

>146 Alexandra_book_life: It's usually a 6 month delay before ebook releases. I remember reading an author FAQ where he stated that's the normal time frame for audible exclusivity.

Words of Radiance Interesting prologue. Normally I don't like same scenes written from a different POV but man that was intriguing. I hope this sets the pattern that Jasnah stays a POV character too.

Not Till We Are Lost the book's dedication explains the title comes from a Henry David Thoreau quote:

Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations.

I like that. Seems like this will be the books theme. Also, I've forgotten a lot about Heaven's River so I'm glad we are reintroduced to a couple of those plot points in the first 5 chapters, which is what I finished this morning. While the continuing relationship with that species is interesting, I'm a lot more interested in the new solar system with potential civilization that Icarus and Daedalus have discovered. Did all the people use that wormhole to gtfo of some problem they encountered? I can't wait for those two to hook back into the main Bobiverse and get their FTL comms hah

Words of Radiance Finished Part 1. Well crud. There goes my hopes for Jasnah as a POV character. Seems that Shallan pairing with a "lie" spren suits her considering how she's faking it with the slavers. How the heck is she going to explain it all to Dalinar and everyone in the Shatterd Plains?

So what happened to Jasnah's spren? Did it just go back to being dumb or did it die too? I don't think they were fully bonded yet - does that matter?

I love the experiments Kaladin is doing with his abilities. He'll get there.

I also wonder what kind of spren Dalinar will eventually bond with. The cover from the upcoming book kind of looks like he has stormlight and since humans need a spren for that ability....

Which begs the question: What kind of spren does Szeth have?

If Dalinar is going to reform the Knights Radiant then someone's going to have to start looking for people with the ability to pull in stormlight. My current guess is Kaladin or someone from Bridge 4 (Teft maybe?) will be given that job.

>150 Narilka: That's a good summary, I think you're picking up more in that book than I did.

>151 Karlstar: Good to hear my musings are at least interesting :)

Words of Radiance First set of Interludes I like getting a POV of a Parshendi. I hope that remains throughout the series. As she talked about changing forms it made me think of a spren and then yep, they use spren to change forms. I'm not convinced they are voidbringers yet but something else. Interesting their shardbearer wants to sue for peace. I also am seeing where the 4th book got its title from with all the Parhsendi Rhythms.

I liked Ym's chapter again. She has some serious cahones to do what she did!

I also thought it odd for a shardbearer to be hunting down a criminal for 40 years. Perhaps we get more insight later on.

Ch 13 Wait a minute... Did Pattern just admit that his sect of spren might have broken the psyche of Shallan's family??

Edit to add a general book/series comment The spren seem to be the key to it all. I really really wish Kaladin would have more conversations with Syl like Shallan is trying to.

Words of Radiance Through Ch 24 I feel sad for Pattern, that he thinks his bond with Shallan will end with her killing him. I guess this is RAFO territory. Well it's all RAFO lol

Shallan the con man? Tyn has badly misread her and also given her a new career at the same time. Oy. I was really hoping that Shallan would just get to the shattered plains, straighten things out about Jasnah's death and get on with her research, likely enlisting the help of the mom/aunt (forgetting her name). Her figuring out the voidbringers in time is critical and she doesn't even know she has a timeline lol

So is Shen, the parshman in Bridge 4, actually a Parshendi spy? Seems... odd of him to want a weapon since the current history we've been told of the parshmen is they don't think that way.

All these epigraphs that are insight into the Parshendi forms. Based on the epigraph of stormform and Kaladin's description of the difference in that storm I'd say they have a new form figured out now. I'm looking forward to the upcoming interludes. Since Pattern revealed that voidbringers have their own spren, it should be interesting to see this play out since it seemed like they had captured what I'd call a regular spren for their experiment.

I'm really enjoying this read with all the mystery involved.

Words of Radiance Finished Part 2 + Interludes Kaladin isn't going to be able to keep his abilities hidden for much longer. He should probably just show it to Dalinar on the side, like he told him about Amaram, so they can start figuring out how to find more like him.

Yeah, I really hate Sadeas. Can't wait for him to get his comeuppance.

Shallan's career as a con woman was short lived lol though I'm sure she'll use some of those skills in the future as a Lightweaver. Illusions are her jam. It's a little too perfectly timed but I am glad she also has proof of the conspiracy to kill Jasnah that she can bring along with her intro to House Kohlin. Boy is she going to cause chaos. She should have everything she needs to prove herself, prove what happened and even keep her promise to those deserters and make them her guards.

That poor, insane Herald. He's trying.

Confirmed that the Parshendi transformation was a success. And a bad thing. Is that what an actual Voidbringer is or is it still something else? I think there's a bit more going on than what's on the surface.

Cosmere/Ghostbloods At this point I'm having a hard time reconciling the Ghostbloods as we see them in the early writings vs what they appeared like in The Lost Metal. Yes, they're a shadow organization with unknown motivations but they're coming across as more malevolent than they did at the end of Mistborn 7. Kelsier's a con man and seems like there would be a good fit for Shallan here at some point. If she's not on their hit list. I'm guessing this is a RAFO thing because I still have 2.5 chonkers of books to read to fill in some blanks.

Not Till We Are Lost is feeling more like a Bob book than the last one. It's nice to jump around between them all. It's almost cozy :) Icarus and Daedalus are still my favorite story line as they jump through wormholes. I really hope they find that civilization somewhere.

It makes me sad that humans are backsliding. Probably typical though. Thankfully being spread out across many planets should let those who want a certain way of life find it easier. Now getting to a particular planet could be the tricky part.

I am enjoying seeing more consciousnesses deciding to live on as replicants.

Words of Radiance through Ch 51 I'm enjoying Shallan's chapters this time around. She's like a one woman spy infiltration team lol I imagine that's part of where Lightweavers were used in the past considering their illusion mastery. I assume things will go sideways for her eventually. She's had a lot of beginners luck so far unless Pattern is nudging things in the background.

Not that they were bad in book 1. They were interesting. This time it's also enjoyable and I look forward to what trouble she'll get up to next. Plus her wit has smoothed out a bit, feels less forced. Or I'm used to the character's quirks.

I'm enjoying all the POVs now that I think about it. I don't want to skip any and I'm not annoyed at the switches.

I think it was a bad idea for Dalinar to let Adolin go to the meeting with the Parshendi in his place. Dalinar might have caught the change in form that Adolin definitely had no clue about. Though covered in shardplate it would be hard to tell. Hmm.

Words of Radiance In hindsight I wonder Kaladin's little reveal to Szeth... does that change Szeth's whole perspective? Will he no longer let himself be a slave since he isn't truthless? Seems Szeth's whole basis of his recent life was based on a misunderstanding.

Words of Radiance I'm mid way through Ch 56 and this is a nail biter! Adolin is going to need help with 4 on 1.

Before that though, I think Ch 52/53 Kaladin's experimenting with stormlight and figuring out actual Windrunning... reminded me SO MUCH of Vin learning her push/pulls and flying through the city in Mistborn.

Edit to add... Something else I wonder about, Ch 53-55 Kaladin and Shallan are in the carriage ride together for Shallan/Adolin's date. Shouldn't Syl be able to recognize that Shallan has a spren? And vice versa - shouldn't Pattern recognize that Kaladin has a spren? Seems like there are a few things that are about to fly wide open all at once.

Also, the scene of Wit's return and everyone's "You!"s had me laughing lol

Words of Radiance Ch 57 WHAT THE HELL I can't believe that just happened. Dammit Kaladin!! You just saved everyone and couldn't keep your impulses under control. Hopefully it's not a long sit in jail. Not that they could keep you there if you really wanted out.

Speculation. I could see Kaladin letting Moash's group have at it and not say anything to anyone now that he feels betrayed by the king. I can also see him feeling betrayed by Syl though I have no idea how that will patch up because without her I think he'll lose his abilities. Plus him being mad at Dalinar. Actually the only one on his side at the moment is probably Adolin and with a possibility of Shallan. Not that he knows it but Shallan could always jail break him too if she wanted.

I'm curious about the sword and the screaming. Is that where a "dead" spren went? Or a tortured spren to create a blade? Kaladin definitely can't use one of these shardblades. What about the honorblades that have been mentioned? Of course, one needs to be found first.

I wasn't prepared for Part 3 to end so abruptly. That was one hell of a scene. The highs and the lows.

Words of Radiance part 3's interludes. I admit I was annoyed at a break from the main story. It's interesting that the Parshendi might be bringing back the gods they attempted to escape from with this new form. Also sad that Eshonai was planning to murder her people that disagreed.

I also think there were a lot of nuggets of information in Lift's interlude. My biggest question is if her ability to convert food to stormlight is a quirk of her anatomy, a feature of her Radiant order or something anyone could possibly learn. That would be VERY VERY useful.

Finished Part 4 The epigraphs for this section seem like a letter to Wit/Hoid.

Kaladin has got to figure out the next set of words for his advancement already and save Syl. The explanation Pattern gave for "dead" spren was sad but at least they're not really dead dead.

So much happened. I was pretty neutral about Adolin but now think he's a good guy and like the character. At least he understands loyalty. I wonder if he'll be considered by spren for a bond. I was initially surprised that Dalinar didn't have a spren yet but also now know that I know he's at war within himself still which could be preventing it. Or he doesn't perfectly align with one as yet.

I'm very glad that Shallan finally trusts Kaladin, at least enough that he knows two of her big secrets. Too bad he didn't tell her he figured out she's on a path to becoming a Radiant too. Is the fact that Kaladin didn't hear screaming from her shardeblade a sign that it's not a normal shardeblade or that his bond with Syl is cracking?

I love how Kaladin explains they "took care of" the chasm fiend lol and Shallan covers for them both to explain it away with a lie because no one would believe the actual truth. Plus the actual truth would cause too many questions for her especially since we still don't have the story of how she got her blade. Those two, working together, could be a very powerful.

I had hoped Kaladin would go on the expedition but he's probably not healthy enough since they're leaving immediately and he's lost access to stormlight healing.

Again, I'm annoyed by the interludes interrupting the story flow. But at least these look shorter than the last ones.

Words of Radiance I finished the 4th set of Interludes. That was interesting. A little more about the bigger picture. Seems more people are trying to solve the problem of future survival though in different ways.

Through Ch 81 I'm so happy Shallan let Dalinar know of her powers!!!! If only Kaladin had too. I'm sure that's coming. As is more people discovering their abilities/bonds.

Funny how it explains there is a city/country that deliberately puts their people in harms way to try to encourage their abilities to manifest. Just like some of the houses in Mistborn.

It also just clicked for me that the world building is based on undersea creatures and plant life. All the crustaceans and plants that hide when something is near. I wonder if this is important at all to the planet's history (was it all ocean once?) or just Brandon being creative or bit of both. It would absolutely suck to have a shellfish allergy on this world lol

Time for Shallan to hurry up and find/open the gate so the armies can escape. Plus Navani needs to discover how to make more Shardplate since it's protective against the stormlight lightning the stormforms are summoning. Plus Kaladin needs to speak the damn words!

Words of Radiance Ch 88 LOL They gave Szeth Nightblood LOL!!!

Wait, so is Nin actually Vasher? I'm surprised Vasher would part with his sword actually.

Words of Radiance Finished! That was awesome. YAY Jasnah's alive!! Radiants are hard to kill that's for sure and likely a very good thing. I disagree with Wit, I don't think Roshar is doomed. But... 7 books to find out for sure :)

I think it very interesting that Dalinar bonded with the Stormfather.

I can't wait for them all to discover that Lopen is on his way to becoming a Radiant lol

I was shocked that Adolin finally ended Sadeas. I didn't see that coming. I'm not disappointed though I hope this doesn't hurt Adolin's psyche too much.

And Shallan was forced to face her past. Hope this is what needed to start her healing like Iain mentioned.

I think I might read the Stormlight novella Edgedancer next before switching back to Discworld.

>155 Narilka: Oh good! I won't click on your spoiler until I've listened to it myself.

>164 clamairy: Glad it's on your list :)

Ok, starting a new thread. This one is getting long.