This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
No Pilates or Fitstep this week, as our teaching is on a scuba diving holiday on the other side of the world – she surely picked a good time to go! On Tuesday, the Sleep Clinic contacted us to say that the sleep mask Himself had been waiting for had arrived, so we drove to Worthing hospital to pick it up. On the way back, we stopped at the Sea Lane Café and enjoyed a delicious vegan burger for lunch, looking out over the sea in lovely sunshine, though it was raining again by the time we got home.
On Friday, I travelled to Brighton to see Rebecca and little Eliza, who ran up to me – and went on going, past me, calling ‘Papa! Papa!’ She scrambled onto the settee to look out of the window and see if he was outside, ignoring me. And when we went over last week to babysit – did he play with her? Get her tea and feed her? Give her a bath and put her to bed? Nope, that was yours truly. Instead, he read his Kindle, looking up from time to time to acknowledge her chatter as she all but stood on her head to get his attention… Rebecca was in fits of laughter😊. That evening Himself made me a special meal for Valentine’s Day and you’ll be shocked to learn we exchanged books as presents to show how much we love each other…
Yesterday, I tackled the middle bedroom where Rob had put all the stuff he’d brought back from Cambridge, before flying out to LA, as we are expecting the children to stay during half term this coming week. By evening, Storm Dennis was howling around the house with rain lashing the windows, when I got a text from my sister to say that as she’d opened her back door, the wind took hold of it, swung it round and hit her in the face. She is now only ten minutes up the road, so driving through the height of the storm wasn’t too bad, though I wouldn’t have wanted to travel much further. She has a lump on her forehead the size of an egg, cuts across her nose and had bitten through her tongue. She is lucky to have escaped concussion and a broken nose, though she is developing two black eyes. Fortunately, although shocked and in a lot of pain, she was okay, however I stayed the night just in case. We had a cosy breakfast together, and I returned home mid-morning, though the pouring rain – though at least the wind has dropped. My thoughts are with all the poor souls who have suffered damage and flooding for the second weekend in a row…
Last week I read:
A Blight of Blackwings – Book 2 of the Seven Kennings series by Kevin Hearne
SOLDIER AND AVENGER
Daryck is from a city that was devastated by the war with the Bone Giants, and now he and a band of warriors seek revenge against the giants for the loved ones they lost. But will vengeance be enough to salve their grief?
DREAMER AND LEADER
Hanima is part of a new generation with extraordinary magical talents: She can speak to fantastical animals. But when this gift becomes a threat to the powers-that-be, Hanima becomes the leader of a movement to use this magic to bring power to the people.
SISTER AND SEEKER
Koesha is the captain of an all-female crew on a perilous voyage to explore unknown waters. Though Koesha’s crew is seeking a path around the globe, Koesha is also looking for her sister, lost at sea two years ago. But what lies beyond the edges of the map is far more dangerous than storms and sea monsters. . . .
I thoroughly enjoyed this epic fantasy sequel to A Plague of Giants with a nifty plot device which works really well.
AUDIOBOOK Salt Lane – Book 1 of the DS Alexandra Cupidi series by William Shaw
DS Alexandra Cupidi has done it again. She should have learnt to keep her big mouth shut, after the 
scandal that sent her packing – resentful teenager in tow – from the London Met to the lonely Kent coastline. Even murder looks different in this landscape of fens, ditches and stark beaches, shadowed by the towers of Dungeness power station. Murder looks a lot less pretty. The man drowned in the slurry pit had been herded there like an animal. He was North African, like many of the fruit pickers that work the fields. The more Cupidi discovers, the more she wants to ask – but these people are suspicious of questions. It will take an understanding of this strange place – its old ways and new crimes – to uncover the dark conspiracy behind the murder. Cupidi is not afraid to travel that road. But she should be. She should, by now, have learnt.
This is a well written, strongly plotted contemporary murder mystery set in the striking setting of Dungeness, which I loved listening to. Ideal for fans of Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series.
Sacred Bride – Book 3 of the Olympus trilogy by David Hair & Cath Mayo
Prince Odysseus and the daemon Bria must penetrate the haunted caverns beneath Dodona, seeking a
way to save their doomed nation, Achaea, from the might of Troy. The startling revelation that follows will set Odysseus on his most daunting mission yet, as he seeks to reunite the divided Achaean kingdoms before the rapacious Trojans strike. His journey will pit him against wrathful gods and legendary heroes, in a deadly contest for the hand of Helen of Sparta, the daughter of Zeus, upon whose choice the fate of Achaea rests…
This is the third book in the series charting the adventures of Odysseus in the run-up to the Trojan War. I love Greek myth retellings. The characterisation, worldbuilding and explanation of how the gods work and the political and financial pressures all leading to the war is done exceptionally well. Review to follow.
My posts last week:
Friday Faceoff featuring Club Dead – Book 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last couple of weeks, in no particular order:
#writerproblems #writingawesome #characterdesign in three sentences or less https://jeanleesworld.com/2020/02/02/writerproblems-writing-awesome-characterdesign-in-three-sentences-or-less/ Jean’s writing advice and discussions are always worth reading – but this one particularly chimed with me. So very true!
My Favorite Books of the Decade: 2009-2019 https://coffeeandcatsblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/my-favorite-books-of-the-decade-2009-2019/ I loved this list, and agreed with a couple of the choices – but then also started wondering which books I’d include on my own list. What about you?
An Interesting Character Study: Malvolio from Twelfth Night https://interestingliterature.com/2020/02/character-study-malvolio-twelfth-night/
I recall seeing Ken Dodd perform the final speech of Malvolio’s during a Variety performance and being transfixed at just how WELL he did it. This intriguing article explains what drew him to the character…
John Gorka: Semper Fi https://theimmortaljukebox.com/2020/02/09/john-gorka-semper-fi/ Once again, a warm, wonderful piece of writing that makes you think. Thom’s blog epitomises the best in blogging…
Thursday Photo Prompt #Choice #writephoto https://indishe.wordpress.com/2020/02/09/thursday-photo-promptchoicewritephoto/ These posts are always gold for writers seeking inspiration – and I love this one…
Thank you for visiting, reading, liking and/or commenting on my blog – I hope you have a wonderful week.
Brainfluff 
That sounds nice how you had a vegan burger for lunch and a nice view on the way back from the hospital. Sounds like a fun Valentine’s days exchange with books. I am sorry to hear your sister got hit by the door because of the storm. Here we’re having strong wind and plenty of rain as well. I hope her bruises fade quickly. Have a great week!
Thank you, Lola. Yes – it’s really encouraging how many places now include vegan and proper veggie options on their menus, instead of just taking out the meat and adding cheese and/or chillies which seemed to be the standard option only a handful of years ago. I appreciate your good wishes for my sister’s recovery – I hope her bruises fade soon, too.
Sorry about Storm Dennis! Stay safe…and enjoy catering to a child who ignores you in preference to her Papa, lol. Kids are funny that way.
Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog. Enjoy your books. Salt Lane looks good.
Thank you, Laurel. Yes… it’s always the way with very small children, isn’t it? She regularly tells me, loudly, ‘Bye bye’ when her mother and I are busy talking to each other:)).
Salt Lane is a really gripping, well written police procedural with a wonderful sense of place. Have a great week.
Oh no I’m so sorry to hear about your sister! That’s awful! Glad she avoided a concussion though, yikes. that Dennis sounds awful…
A scuba diving holiday. Wow I think I’m jealous haha… 🙂
That new Kevin Hearne series has me super curious.
Thank you, Greg – it was very bad luck, but I’m just grateful she wasn’t more badly hurt. Yes… my Pilates and Fitstep teacher is a wonderful advert for her own fitness regime. If you are a fan of epic fantasy, do give A Plague of Giants a go, as it’s really good. Have a lovely week, Greg.
Sounds like a busy and crazy week for you. I’m sorry about your sister, but glad she’s okay. Hope you have a great week!
Thank you for your kind good wishes, Yvonne and I hope you, too, have a wonderful week.
Goodness. I hope your sister recovers quickly.
Children can be so fickle. How can they miss who does the most for them?
I hope you enjoy all your books this week. Have a lovely week.
Thank you, Deb:). I hope she makes a quick recovery, too… Lol – I actually think Eliza’s devotion to Himself is rather sweet – the grandchildren have always been fond of him. And I hope your first full week back is a great one, too:)
Well not a bad week except for the storm and your poor sister. I hope the weather will be better and you will enjoy your new books!
Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
Thank you, Anne – no, it’s just a real shame about my poor sister! Let’s hope next week we get a LOT more sunshine and less wind.
I’m sorry to hear about your sister. I hope she feels better soon. We’ve had the storms here too, but they haven’t been as bad here as in the UK. Just a lot of wind and rain. So far I haven’t heard about a lot of damage here.
Have a great week and happy reading.
Thank you, Maureen – I’m sure it’s just a case of the bruising going down. We’ve been texting back and forth all evening and she’s feeling okay. Glad that you have avoided the worst of the storms. I hope you, too, have a great week with lots of lovely books:)
The storms have been rough! I’m so sorry to hear about your sister but I’m glad it wasn’t worse for her. I’m sitting listening to the wind and rain still going outside and wondering when it’ll stop… The news says the worst should have passed, ha! Not from where I’m sitting.
Fingers crossed this is the last for a while!
Hope you have a good week!
Well the worst of the wind has now abated, but it’s STILL raining! Hasn’t stopped all day, other than for a couple of short spells… And I’m with you – it would be nice to have a bit of a dry patch to allow river levels to drop! Have a great week, Nicci:)
I didn’t realize Hearne had another series out. It sounds like you had a lovely Valentine’s and ouch! for your sister. What a freak accident.
Karen @ For What It’s worth
Oh yes – it’s very different to the Iron Druid series… Yes – I couldn’t believe it when I saw my poor sister’s face – but it could have been so much worse…
Oh my gosh, your poor sister. I’m glad she’s okay overall, but wow, that must have been one heck of a storm.
Thank you, Suzanne. The gusts of wind coming through were strong enough to make it difficult to keep your footing at times…
It’s cool that you found a vegan burger in a restaurant. One of the reasons why I quit being vegan is because I love restaurants, but they rarely had anything I could eat. I hope your sister heals quickly. Have a great week!
Thank you for your good wishes, AJ:). Oh, I’m sorry you have had such a struggle to find good vegan options where you are. It certainly is patchy – but I’m frankly amazed at the speed with which restaurants and cafes are beginning to cater for vegans.
Ouch, so sorry that your sister got hurt – thank goodness you stay close by and could stop by to help! Hope she gets better soon!
I feel you – you do all the work with the kids but someone else is either the fun person or the cool person. Same story over at my house too (with my own kids, lol)!
Thank you for your kind good wishes, Athira:). Yes… it’s always the way with children, isn’t it? Still, it’s also very funny to watch!
My goodness…talk about stormy weather! Hope you ALL are ok by now. Hope the coming week is good for you and the rain clears.
Thank you Rae – I haven’t checked the forecast, but the sun is shining just for the moment, although it’s already been raining this morning. Let’s hope the clouds are FINALLY emptied out!
Oh goodness I’m glad you avoided the worst of the storm, your poor sister though. And kids can be brutal.
Salt Lane sounds good
Wishing you a great reading week
Thank you for your kind sympathy, Shelleyrae – yes, it was such a freak accident, but it could have been worse! As for Eliza – I’ll forgive her as she’s only 19 months old:))). Salt Lane is a cracking read – I’ll be reviewing it in due course. And I hope you, too have a wonderful reading week!
Sounds like she’s Papa’s girl. LOL Sorry about your sister and glad you are okay. This has been a winter of storms for sure.
Seeing the images of that storm’s devastation on the news is worrisome, but learning how it directly affects people – in what seems like a scene from a disaster movie! – makes me understand first-hand how nature can turn against us, indeed… I hope your sister gets well soon!!!!
Thank you, Maddalena – in the scheme of things, it is a minor accident and we count ourselves so fortunate that we haven’t had any storm damage, where so many around us have. But your kind good wishes are very much appreciated:))
Yes,I was very surprised to read that you exchanged books as gifts. Not.
So sorry to hear about your sister, that’s awful. I hope she’s feeling better soon and she’s lucky to have you so close by.
Lynn 😀
Thank you for your kind good wishes – it is SUCH a random accident, though the wind was really blowing a hoolie on Saturday night.
YAY, I MADE THE LIST!!!! (insert fist pump here) I’ll just cheer, you know, a month after the fact, lol… praying you and your sister are doing better with that rain. And as for Eliza, that reminds me of how Blondie would always run up to my Dad and follow my dad around, but he played with her a lot. 🙂 One of my favorite moments was Blondie’s second winter–she was around a year and a half. Ready to go out and play in the snow…except all she wanted to do was sit by the sandbox and dig sand. And Dad sat out there for a good hour in the snow, playing with sand trucks with her. xxxxxxxxxxxx
I am delighted that you are so pleased:)). Thank you for still making the effort to go through my back catalogue! Lol… playing with sand in the snow – that is SO funny:)). Yes – it’s a lovely age, watching their personalities unfurl as they start walking and talking… but also a lot of hard work!
LOL I know, right? Sidenote: my photos of Blondie’s first winter–so she’d be around seven months–the one thing she liked doing outside was eat snow. Nine years later? STILL her favorite thing to do outside in winter. 🙂 The snow could be dirty and grimy, and still she’ll be looking for a white patch to dig her fingers into, lol
Oh my goodness! I don’t know how she does it – the cold always makes my teeth ache! It’s funny how some habits stay with them…