This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
It’s been the first full week of the school holidays – and we travelled back to Brighton to pick up Frances on Tuesday from her last day at school. She was thrilled with the prospect of the summer break and to celebrate we stopped off at the local Haskins for a round of hand-made pizzas, which were very yummy. On Wednesday, Frances joined in my Pilates and Fitstep lessons during the morning in the sweltering village hall and in the afternoon, we met up with my sister and had a long, leisurely lunch – it was too hot to do anything else. On Thursday, we needed to shop for a few bits and pieces, when I discovered the delights of iced coffee and Frances sampled a hot chocolate scone, thinking she was getting a cookie…
On Friday, my writing buddy Mhairi came over for the day and we spent some of the time formatting Running Out of Space in preparation for a paperback version – the rest of the time, we were busy closing down and unplugging the computers and router when several thunderstorms swept through. During the evening, we went beach to see if we could see the lunar eclipse but though we waited, hoping the cloud cover would thin, it didn’t. However, we were treated to an amazing display of blood-red lightning, presumably reflecting from the colour of the moon. It was supposed to be my friend’s birthday party on Saturday evening, but poor Sally was crippled with a bad back, so I helped her ring around the guests to postpone it until she feels better, while Frances walked to the beach with Tim. Today we are travelling to visit my mother and father who haven’t seen Frances since last year.
This week I have read:
White Silence – Book 1 of the Elizabeth Cage series by Jodi Taylor
Elizabeth Cage is a child when she discovers that there are things in this world that only she can see. But she doesn’t want to see them and she definitely doesn’t want them to see her.
What is a curse to Elizabeth is a gift to others – a very valuable gift they want to control.
This paranormal thriller has plenty of the energy and twists I’ve come to expect from Taylor’s writing in her very successful The Chronicles of St Mary’s series, though Elizabeth definitely isn’t the adrenaline-junkie that Max is… A highly entertaining roller-coaster read.
Like a Boss – Book 2 of thendswept series by Adam Rukunas
After buying her favourite rum distillery and settling down, she thought she’d heard the last of her arch nemesis, Evanrute Saarien. But Saarien, fresh out of prison for his misdeeds in Windswept, has just fabricated a new religion, positioning himself as its holy leader. He’s telling his congregation to go on strike, to fight the system. And unfortunately, they’re listening to him.
This sequel to the successful Windswept isn’t perhaps as sharp or well realised as the first book, but I was happy to go along with the adventure, given I’m very fond of Padma and love the world.
The Tea Master and the Detective – The Xuya Universe novella by Aliette de Bodard
Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars. In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, the appareance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.
A transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow’s Child now ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow’s Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The Shadow’s Child with her.
This is space-based whodunit nods to the Sherlock Holmes series, while adding important ingredients that can only exist in the far future. An intriguing, entertaining read.
The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah
Alaska, 1974. Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed. For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival. Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown.
I loved this one. The writing is lyrical, the worldbuilding exceptional and the story full of unexpected twists. And that cover – ooo… Many thanks to my lovely mother for sending this one to me.
My posts last week:
Review of Removed – Book 1 of the Nogiku series by S.J. Pajonas
Teaser Tuesday featuring Like a Boss – Book 2 of the Windswept series by Adam Rakunas
Can’t-Wait Wednesday featuring Immortal Creators by Jill Bowers
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Redemption’s Blade : After the War by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Review of The Tethered Mage – Book 1 of the Swords and Fire series by Melissa Caruso
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
Follow the Vikings https://inesemjphotography.com/2018/07/28/follow-the-vikings/ This talented photographer has perfectly captured the flavour of this amazing Follow the Vikings Roadshow when it came to Waterford in Ireland
Untitled https://photolicioux.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/untitled-146/ I loved this one…
Jupiter’s New Moons https://earthianhivemind.net/2018/07/25/jupiters-new-moons/ I love the fact that we are constantly discovering new facts about our solar system – and this is one of those exciting facts.
Then and Now at RWA National Conferences http://writerunboxed.com/2018/07/25/all-the-things-at-rwa-national-in-denver/ Barbara O’Neal has written with affection and verve about her experiences with the Romance Writers’ Association. I loved this article…
10 of the best poems by English Romantic Poets https://interestingliterature.com/2018/07/25/10-of-the-best-poems-by-english-romantic-poets/ I may not wholly agree with all these choices – but that’s okay. There are a number here I love…
Thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to visit, like and comment on my site and have a great week.
Brainfluff 
Blood red lightning!!! Wow! I can’t even imagine that :0
It was extraordinary to watch it – it was out to sea with no thunder, but the only reason I can think that it would be that colour was because of the moon…
The Great Alone is one I would like to get my hands on, it sounds really good. Have a wonderful week!
I really enjoyed it – Mum is a solid fan of Hannah’s writing, but this is my first book by her and I loved it. I hope you, too, have a marvellous week – best of luck with the job interview!
Did you take photos of the lightning? I’m very interested in reading The Great Alone. I hadn’t realized it takes place in Alaska. 😁
No – though I had my camera with me – the lightning flashes were so quick and I just have a point and shoot model, so I wouldn’t have managed to capture them. A pity… The Great Alone does a great job of depicting Alaska during a certain time – I couldn’t cope with those winters though! Far too cold and dark for me! Have a great week, Tammy.
That storm sounds pretty frightening. We are spoiled here, with mostly just hot weather…although we have the occasional earthquakes…and lots of wildfires. Sigh.
I loved The Great Alone. Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
Lol… I think it was Charles II who commented to the effect that in England 3 days of sunshines brings on a thunderstorm:). In fairness, we have had nearly two and a half months of sun and heat and only a handful of thunderstorms – which I wouldn’t swap for wildfires, btw… Though we are starting to get fires on moors and heaths, here, too.
Glad you enjoyed The Great Alone, Laurel and I hope you have a lovely week – thank you for swinging by:).
Blood red lightning. Sounds super cool.
sherry @ fundinmental Sunday Memes
It was, Sherry! Such a shame I couldn’t get any photos of it, though…
Thank you so much for the link!
The paranormal thriller sounds great 🙂
Ha ha, I would have been like Frances and tried the hot chocolate scone myself. 🙂 Glad to hear you’ve had such a great visit with her. How much longer is she staying with you?
I really enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s previous book The Nightingale, but haven’t decided whether to get The Great Alone yet. I think I’d like it, I’ve just been hesitant to spend the money because… well, so many books. *lol* I look forward to reading your review of it, though!
We have been discussing when Frances goes home – probably Friday. We had a lovely couple of days with my mum and dad who haven’t seen her for a year and cannot get over just how grown up she now is… We love having her – she is an absolute sweetheart. And a real bookworm:))
I highly recommend The Great Alone – I’ll be reviewing it this coming week, hopefully, Sara. In the meantime, I hope you have a great time:).
It must have been quite a storm. I’m glad you were able to unplug everything.
I like the look of The Tea Master. I’ve read very little science fiction or fantasy in the past twenty years. It used to be all I read.
We err on the side of caution since we lost our internet earlier in the year in the middle of a thunderstorm – in the event it was rather something and nothing…
The Tea Master was an entertaining read, Deb. I hope you have had a great week:)
I hope Frances has an excellent summer break. That lightning sounds awesome. I love lightning, even though it’s terrifying. Have a great week!
The lightning was amazing – though I’m less enthusiastic since we got zapped earlier in the year and we lost the internet for a fortnight… I hope you, too, have a wonderful week:)
It’s been hot here too… and very stormy. So much rain! We didn’t get to see the eclipse either, most likely because I forgot when it was going to be or even if we’d be able to see it here at all! Lol.
Well that doesn’t help matters… to be honest, I’d forgotten until my friend remembered the eclipse …
Mmmm, hand made pizzas and hot chocolate scones? Your post is making me hungry, haha! I hope that Frances has a good summer break and that you had a good visit with your parents.
Yes! We had a lovely time with my parents – more scrummy food:)). And I think Frances is thoroughly enjoying her summer break – I hope so, seeing as so far she has spent the first week of it with us! But she seems very happy and relaxed and chatty. She is always such good company.
I was so disappointed in the visibility for the Blood Moon. 😦 We were going to go to the New Forest with our telescope to see it and then planet hunt but it was so poor there was no point.
The red lightening would have been awesome. 🙂
Oh I know! Flipping typical! We’ve had night after night of cloudless starscapes and the ONE night when the best lunar eclipse of the century is set to appear, we get storms, rain and CLOUDS. The next day there were sites begging me to see the marvellous photos from around the world – and I decided I didn’t want to know what I’d missed!
Though I’ll freely admit that lightning was something of a consolation prize…
Another exciting week – and red lightning (sounds better than the lunar eclipse – or as good as anyway).
Lynn 😀
I’m not sure I’m quite over the disappointment. After our amazing heatwave, I’d been counting on seeing the blood-red moon – but at least I did get to see that lightning…
What a great week, minus the storms. They do tend to interfere and overreach. But they are nice to watch sometimes.
Yes – though I’m a real wuss about the thunder since my childhood in Zambia where the storms were intense. But, you’re right – they can be fantastic to watch somewhere there’s a big sky, like over the sea, for example…
Sounds like you are in a state of transition at the moment, as am I, waiting for the start of the semester. I got three wonderful shots in my feet yesterday (Monday) and am a new woman today because of it. Thursday I have the last of the tests at the cardiologists, and hopefully, soon I will hear from the internist about a change in the high b.p. medication which is causing a racking cough and keeping me from a good night’s sleep!
Glad you are feeling so much better – I never know why pains in feet are the subject of so much comedy (ingrowing toenails, bunions, etcc…) when anything wrong with feet is agonising. And delighted they are addressing the racking cough.
I’m up to my eyes at present, working on my latest trilogy in readiness to let it loose on an unsuspecting world while I’m not having to deal with lessons plans and teaching admin! Have a good week, Rae.
Blood red lightening sounds interesting – quite a different sight! Good luck with your latest trilogy – sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy! Michelle
Thank you, for your kind good wishes regarding my latest writing project, Michelle. Yes… the lightning was an extraordinary sight. Have a great week:)
Fantastic post! I hope that you enjoy more of Hannah’s books.
Happy Sunday! Have a wonderful week.
Happy reading 📚🤗
Thank you, Dee – I’ll definitely be looking out for more of her books:). I hope you have a good week, too.
Thank you !! ❤
As I’m catching up with my reading, I’m leaving a comment here to remind you of all those beautiful summer memories. 🙂
Thank you, Joanna – last summer seems a very long time ago…:))
I know. I’m determined to catch up so I don’t dig out the “ancient history” posts. 😉