This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
This week has been a busy one, winding up my Creative Writing class and teaching Tim until after Christmas. I am hoping that during the break I can regain my health and stamina. My wonderful writing buddy, Mhairi and I also completed our tax returns – she comes over and we tackle them together, which makes the whole process a lot more fun and a lot less scary. It was one of those chores we’d planned to do much earlier this autumn, but I’d had to postpone as I wasn’t feeling well enough.
Other than that, I’ve started buying Christmas and birthday pressies as far too many family members saw fit to get themselves born in December, including my mother, daughter and number one grandchild. This weekend I had the grandchildren stay over for the first time in over two months – it will be the last time I’ll see them before Christmas – and we had a great time. We all went shopping yesterday morning, started decorating the house in the afternoon and went out for a Chinese meal at our favourite restaurant in the evening. So Sunday morning we spent a lazy morning recovering, before Oscar tackled the Christmas tree, while Frankie experimented with different looks. It seemed far too soon that I had to load them back into the car, ready to take them home yesterday afternoon and then sank onto the sofa, too tired to move for the rest of the evening. Hence being a day late…
Last week I read:
Ichor Well – Book 3 of the Free-Wrench series by Joseph Lallo
Ever since Nita Graus left her homeland and joined the crew of the Wind Breaker, the reputation of the
airship and its crew has been growing. The destruction of the mighty dreadnought, the escape from the legendary Skykeep, and the inexplicable ability to remain hidden from the ever-watchful eye of the Fug Folk have combined to make her and her fellow crew the stuff of legend. Alas, legendary heroes cannot exist for long without attracting a worthy villain. Luscious P. Alabaster strives to be just that foe.
This steampunk adventure is great fun – though it’s a real shame that I mistakenly tucked into the third book in the series. However, I’ll be backtracking to the first two books, because I really enjoyed this one.
Six of Crows – Book 1 of the Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
I’d heard so much about the criminal underworld fantasy adventure, so decided to give it a whirl as a break from all the science fiction I’ve recently been reading. And I’m so glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
An Easy Death – Book 1 of the Gunnie Rose series by Charlaine Harris
Set in a fractured United States, in the southwestern country now known as Texoma. A world where 
magic is acknowledged but mistrusted, especially by a young gunslinger named Lizbeth Rose. Battered by a run across the border to Mexico Lizbeth Rose takes a job offer from a pair of Russian wizards to be their local guide and gunnie.
I was wittering at Himself about this one and next thing I knew – he’d bought it for me… And Himself, of course – I love it that we often love the same books. We certainly both thoroughly enjoyed this one. Lizbeth’s first person narration during the variety of adventures that engulf her during a particular job had me thoroughly rooting for her. She is feisty, tough and smart and yet doesn’t come off as a Mary Sue. I found it hard to put this one down until I’d finished it.
My posts last week:
Sunday Post – 2nd December 2018
Review of Eye Can Write by Jonathan Bryan
Friday Face-Off featuring The Lost Hero – Book 1 of The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
Fragment(s): Monday Maps and Diagrams (Science Fiction) 12/3/18 – Mark S. Geston’s Lords of the Starship (1967) https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2018/12/03/monday-maps-and-diagrams-science-fiction-12-3-18-mark-s-gestons-lords-of-the-starship-1967/
This is a quirky post about the sci fi equivalent of those fantasy maps that are so common – and it’s worth clicking on the link that gives you access to loads of others…
Top Ten Tuesday – Welcome to the Comfort Zone https://lynns-books.com/2018/12/04/welcome-to-the-comfort-zone/ Lynn’s Book Blog is one of my regular go-to visits as I love her often quirky approach and consistently high quality reviews. This list was a real treat…
Wildlife destinations in Africa that you need to check out http://chechewinnie.com/wildlife-destinations-in-africa-that-you-need-to-check-out/ This is another site I regularly check in on – the facts and fabulous pics are a real pick-me-up on a dank December day.
Write a Winter Haiku & Get the Kids Writing Too – “Snowfalls” (Haiku from MY MAINE by Bette A. Stevens https://4writersandreaders.com/2018/12/04/s-writing-too-snowfalls-haiku-from-my-maine-by-bette-a-stevenswrite-a-winter-haiku-get-the-kid/ A lovely example of a popular verse form.
The Captain’s Log – the egg (Andy Weir) https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/the-captains-log-the-egg-andy-weir/ The Cap is a great reviewer with decided views – and in this article he provides a link to a gem of a short story by Andy Weir of The Martian fame. I loved it…
In the meantime, many thanks for taking the time to comment, like and visit my blog and have a great week.
Brainfluff 