This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
Like so many others, we’re in Week 3 of Lockdown and the outside world is beginning to feel rather 
unreal. At least the beautiful weather has helped. I’ve been taking coffee, tea breaks and lunch outside in the garden. As you can see, it’s been hectic… And the sun has brought out the flowers… Unusually, I haven’t read much this week, as I’ve been writing hard and making good progress on my How-To book. However yesterday, I woke up with some insights into aspects of Mantivore Warrior, so – uncharacteristically – I dropped everything and spent the day editing the manuscript and tightening up one 
of the major subplots.
On Thursday, my sister took her car for a service before work, so she was wearing her work tunic – she works in a chemist’s. In the middle of the afternoon rush, she looked up to find her car mechanic had queued to give her the keys, as they’d parked her car in the nearest car park rather than make her walk back to the garage. And when she got home and had a chance to look at the paperwork, she discovered the lovely people had billed her for the MOT and parts, but hadn’t charged her for the labour. What a lovely thing to do!
My father-in-law is now busy making masks for the NHS with his 3-D printers, putting in about 40 hours a week, which doesn’t sound all that impressive. Until you take into account that he is now 83, caring for his wife, and battling cancer… Some people are remarkable.
I’m making Running Out of Space free until Tuesday – if you would like to dive into an escapist read, please click on the cover in the sidebar and it will take you to your nearest Amazon store
Last week I read:
Shorefall – Book 2 of The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett
Having narrowly saved the metropolis of Tevanne from destruction, Sancia Grado and her allies have
turned to their next task: sowing the seeds of a full-on magical-industrial revolution. If they succeed, the secrets behind scriving—the art of imbuing everyday objects with sentience—will be accessible to all of Tevanne’s citizens, much to the displeasure of the robber-barons who’ve hoarded this knowledge for themselves. But one of Sancia’s enemies has embarked on a desperate gambit, an attempt to resurrect a figure straight out of legend—an immortal being known as a heirophant. Long ago, the heirophant was an ordinary man, but he’s used scriving to transform himself into something closer to a god. Once awakened, he’ll stop at nothing to remake the world in his horrifying image.
And if Sancia can’t stop this ancient power from returning? Well, the only way to fight a god…is with another god.
This one started with a bang and continued full-throttle right until the end. Sancia and her band of companions use their ingenuity and courage to face yet more overwhelming odds. Bennett is good at creating those… I found this an entertaining foot to the floor adventure with a great magic system. Review to follow.
Scythe – Dimension Drift prequel NOVELLA #1 by Christina Bauer
Truth time. I go to a Learning Squirrel High School. Don’t judge. On second thoughts, judge away. Learning Squirrel is one step above attending class in a junkyard. But what do you expect? Everything’s made out of garbage these days. At least, I have my freelance work to keep Mom and me housed, clothed, and fed. How? I’m your regular high school science geek for hire… only my work manipulates space-time. These gigs pay really well, but the government wants people like me dead. Good thing I’m super careful about hiding from their detection systems.
As you can see, the first-person narrative voice is strong and this was an entertaining adventure – though I felt the story was just gathering momentum just as the book came to an end. Review to follow
My posts last week:
An Easter Present from Me to You
Friday Face-off featuring The Wise Man’s Fear – Book 2 of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
Review of AUDIOBOOK The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater
Can’t-Wait-Wednesday featuring The Dark Side of the Road – Book 1 of the Ishmael Jones by Simon R. Green
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Death of a Bean Counter – Book 12 of Maggy Thorsen mysteries by Sandra Balzo
Sunday Post – 5th April 2020
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
Mending the Cosmic Egg https://zenandtheartoftightropewalking.wordpress.com/2020/04/10/mending-the-cosmic-egg/ A wonderful article on mending an ostrich egg and the current situation by a highly talented writer…
Women in SF & F Month: Jennifer Estep http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2020/04/women-in-sff-month-jennifer-estep/ An inspirational article by a best-selling author…
Fiction Must Make More Sense Than Real Life https://jaceybedford.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/fiction-must-make-more-sense-than-real-life/ Jacey’s articles are always worth reading – and I really enjoyed this one…
Aquí hay una vida que vivir https://applegategenealogy.wordpress.com/2020/04/11/aqui-hay-una-vida-que-vivir/ What a wonderful example – so helpful right now…
Apologies for not having visited more – I had major technical issues where I couldn’t leave any comments on Blogger sites, for some reason. Thank goodness, it’s now fixed, although I’m not sure why…
Thank you for visiting, reading, liking and/or commenting on my blog – I hope you and yours have the best possible Easter and a peaceful, healthy week. Take care.
Brainfluff 