This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
I’m late this week, because since Wednesday, I haven’t been feeling very well and so yesterday, I gave myself the day off. Hopefully during the coming week, I’ll throw off this lergy. At least I was able to take part in the family quiz we had last week, which was great fun, especially as Himself and I won. My sister organised the questions, and my nephews sorted out the technicality of getting a number of us together from around the country. We all had a great time and agreed that we should do more😊).
Finally we have had some rain, though as it was accompanied by lots of wind, I’m not sure whether the garden has been suitably soaked, but the weeds are really loving it. The raindrops trapped in the fennel leaves look lovely and my black-leaved sambucca is smothered in more blossom than I’ve ever seen, as is my rather heavily shaded David Austin rose…
On the work front, I spent much of the week going through my friend’s book, after we had something of a formatting disaster. Now I just need to load it onto my Kindle and see how it reads. I am slowly getting to grips with the WordPress block editor and making some changes to try and overcome the limitations I am encountering. But it’s time-consuming and frustrating…
Last week I read:
Set My Heart To Five by Simon Stephenson
10/10 Jared does not have friends.
Because friends are a function of feelings.
Therefore friends are just one more human obligation that Jared never has to worry about.
But Jared is worrying. Which is worrying. He’s also started watching old films. And inexplicably crying in them. And even his Feelings Wheel (given to him by Dr Glundenstein, who definitely is not a friend) cannot guide him through the emotional minefield he now finds himself in.
Given the blurb is something of a hot mess – this delightful book is in the viewpoint of a bot in a human body, designed to work as a dentist without any feelings, so incapable of love, excitement, or boredom and depression. Except that he begins to acquire such emotions after all… It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it.
The Empire of Gold – Book 3 of the Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
Daevabad has fallen. After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people. But the bloodletting and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.
This final book in this sand and sorcery epic fantasy draws us into a land of vengeful magical beings, where the past dictates the present and those in the middle of the story finally discover how they fit into the complex political web around them. A triumphant ending to a magnificent series.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
This gothic tale certainly ticks all the boxes and had me reading into the small hours to find out what happened. A creepy house, miserable welcome and nasty, entitled family who don’t want strangers poking about. And that’s all I’m going to say about it – except that it will take a while before I can face a mushroom again…
My posts last week:
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of The Empire of Gold – Book 3 of the Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
Friday Face-off featuring Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson
Can’t-Wait-Wednesday featuring The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi
Review of The City of Brass – Book 1 of the Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Gravity is Heartless – Book 1 of the Heartless series by Sarah Lahey
Sunday Post – 7th June 2020
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
Black SFF Authors You Should be Reading https://booksbonesbuffy.com/2020/06/02/black-sff-authors-you-should-be-reading/ Like Tammy, I generally don’t discuss politics on my blog, but if you wish to widen your reading – this is a great place to start…
A Short Analysis of Robert Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ https://interestingliterature.com/2020/06/a-short-analysis-of-robert-brownings-my-last-duchess/ This is one of my favourite poems – such a wonderful portrayal of a really nasty villain…
Music Monday: As Good as Hell by Lizzo https://saschadarlington.me/2020/06/08/music-monday-good-as-hell-by-lizzo/#.Xudmk-d7kaE I have heard parts of this song regularly from a certain ad – so it was a real treat to listen to the whole thing and jig along…
The Book Character Quarantine Tag https://spaceandsorcery.wordpress.com/2020/06/09/the-book-character-quarantine-tag/ Maddalena’s lovely and spot on post about how her favourite protagonists would fare under lockdown had me howling with laughter… I will be joining in this one!
Before He Was Scotty: James Doohan and World War II https://thenaptimeauthor.wordpress.com/2020/05/30/before-he-was-scotty-james-doohan-and-world-war-ii/ Anne’s wonderful article shows us Scotty and other members of the Star Trek cast as you’ve never seen them…
Thank you for visiting, reading, liking and/or commenting on my blog – I hope you and yours have a peaceful, healthy week. Take care.
Brainfluff 
Sorry you aren’t feeling well! Now is probably not the time to have struggles with WP! Sorry you weren’t able to work around Block Editor. I am afraid to voice my hope that it is optional for me, for whatever reason. So far, no bills have arrived!
Mexican Gothic sounds good. Enjoy your week and your books. Here are my WEEKLY UPDATES
Yes – I’m feeling horrible, still. Though glad to discover it isn’t coronavirus.
Fingers crossed that you don’t find yourself forced to use the block editor, though the good news is that I am now getting used to it.
Hope your day off helped you feel better! And, thanks for the mention. 😊
You’re very welcome, Sascha. No… not really – I had to go and get retested for coronavirus while I was still feeling horrible, so it rather wiped me out for the day. Still, the result has come back negative, which is heartening and I’m sure I’ll soon feel a lot better.
Ugh. Are they still testing through the nose? One of my friends said that in itself was pretty bad. Take it easy and treat yourself well!
Yes – but the back of the throat was a horrible bit. Retching while scratching at the back of the throat WITHOUT the swab touching your tongue or the sides of your mouth is an exercise in misery…
Eek. I haven’t heard of this. Is this a new thing?
I don’t know, but it wasn’t much fun. The only good thing was that at least I got to swab my own nose and throat – it would have been unbearable if someone else had to do it!
😬
Thanks so much for the shout-out, and your kind words!
I’m glad you’ve found a way to make family trivia still happen (congrats on the win!)
You’ve really got me intrigued by that “sand and sorcery” trilogy. I think that may have to be my next fiction choice…
Hoping you have an excellent week.
You’re welcome, Anne:)). I thought it was a wonderful article.
Yes – the family trivia quiz went really well. I think I need to buckle down and compile one… Oh yes – if you enjoy that genre, the Daevabad trilogy is an absolute joy! I hope you, too, have a lovely week.
Thank you for the shout out, Sarah. I’m glad to hear you had a good time with Mexican Gothic. I’ll be reading it by the end of the month. Your roses are lovely!
You’re welcome – I thought it was worth highlighting it so others could also appreciate it:)). And yes – Mexican Gothic is a blast.
The big bonus about my roses is they have the loveliest winey scent…
Aaaah–my favorite post! Thanks for keeping this up. You are worth waiting for!!!
Thank you so much for that lovely comment, Rae:)). You have no idea how much you have cheered me up!
I’m so sorry to hear you have been sick. I hope you are feeling better now.
I read and loved Set My Heart to Five last week, too. I’m still thinking about the review I want to write. I’m glad to see you loved it as much as I did.
You have almost talked me into Mexican Gothic. I love all things Mexican but I am not sure about the gothic part…I’m a scaredy-cat!
Hm. Mexican Gothic is more eww than anything else, I think. But a lovely buildup of tension…
I’m still feeling fairly grim – but relieved to discover I’m not suffering from the COVID 19 virus. I needed to take the test because Himself is a key worker.
I am sorry to hear you have been a little under-the-weather, SJ – I hope you will be feeling all better soon! Also great to hear you won your family quiz – Well done! 🤗 Take care, rest up and keep reading! 😃
Thank you for your kind good wishes, Jessica – huge relief here as I’ve just found out that my COVID-19 test is negative. I wouldn’t have bothered with it, but for the fact I had a couple of symptoms and Himself is a key worker, as I haven’t been anywhere…
That is really good news! 😊
Thank you! Yes, I’m also pleased as it means we won’t be enduring more lockdown during our summer holiday:))
I hope you feel better soon. x
Thank you, Hayley:))
I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling well and glad it is not COVID. Your garden photos look great. I hope you can get some rest and feel much better this week! Happy reading!
Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
Thank you, Anne – it’s a relief it isn’t COVID 19, as Himself would also have to go into lockdown and we have his annual leave coming up… To be honest, lying in bed gets to be miserable, so I prefer sitting at the computer, where I can concentrate on something else, other than feeling rubbish.
I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling well. Glad it’s not COVID-19. Feel better soon!
Thank you, Yvonne – I’m hoping to feel better soon, too!
*glares at WordPress’s block editor* I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it eventually… maybe…
I keep hearing good things about Mexican Gothic. Definitely going on my TBR.
Hope you’re feeling better!
Thank you, Katherine – slowly feeling a tad better, but getting very fed up with this lergy!
As for block editor – the WP tutorials are as much use as a glass sunhat. My top tip is to go onto YouTube where there are a number of really good videos that talk through the concept. The main thing to understand is that everything is broken down into blocks, either text or images and then it starts to make sense…
Oh yes – I highly recommend Mexican Gothic – she’s a wonderful writer and this is her at her very best:))
I’m still struggling with some things since the new wordpress came out. Very frustrating. I hope you feel better soon, Sarah.
I hope you feel better soon, Sarah. Rest up. ❤
Thank you for your kind good wishes, Diana:))
Mexican Gothic looks interesting. LOL, the weeds are pretty. I hope you get a good soaking rain soon.
Lol… I’m trying to take pics of the weeds:)). And Mexican Gothic is very highly recommended! I’m hoping for a bit more rain – and a lot less wind…
I’m so sorry to hear you haven’t been feel well. I hope you’re on the mend now. Mexican Gothic is coming up soon on my reading list so I’m glad to hear it was an entertaining read for you. 🙂
Thank you, Suzanne. Still feeling fairly grotty but I must count my blessings – at least I am not smitten with coronavirus!
As for Mexican Gothic – a fabulous read and I hope you enjoy it, too:)
Hope you’ll be feeling MUCH better this week!
Thank you, Becky! So do I, because I’m getting very bored with feeling sooo unwell.
I love seeing raindrops on plants or flowers, there’s something just beautiful about it. and hope you are feeling better! Thank you also for the excellent links- they look especially good this week!
Take care and be well. 🙂
Yes – it’s a shame I didn’t make that pic bigger, because it’s just a bit too small to do it justice. I was wondering whether I would put together some of my nicer garden pics in a post at their full size at some stage…
I hope you will feel better soon! My best wishes to you 🙂
(and thanks for the shoutout…)
You’re very welcome for the shoutout – and thank you for your kind wishes.
I hope you are feeling better, Sarah. I enjoyed Mexican Gothic–and like you, won’t look at mushrooms the same for awhile, I think. LOL I hope you have a great week. Take care.
Thank you, Wendy:)). I’m finally feeling better, though it seems to still be hanging around… Hoping the second half of the week is going to be an improvement!
I hope you are feeling better and getting lots of rest. Not a fan of being sick at all! Mexican Gothic is on my TBR. It sounds fascinating.
Thank you, Katherine. Still not 100% which is sooo boooring!!! Oh – I look forward to hearing how you get on with Mexican Gothic:))
I’ve just started Mexican gothic and feel drawn in almost immediately.
Lynn 😀
Oh good! I’m looking forward to discovering what you make of this one, Lynn:)
Hey, you take a break when you need, too. (Says the friend over a month after the fact, lol). Thanks for sharing a link on Black SFF writers! I often only see a few pushed, and clearly, there are so, so many more. Time to check it out!
That’s fine! I’m always humbled that you take the care to backtrack through allll my previous articles in order to catch up – bless you!
And it’s my pleasure – I hope you find the links useful…
And miss awesome reading recommendations, your writing, and other updates on your awesome fam?!? I wouldn’t dare. 😉
:)))