This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
All my frenetic activity of last week was slammed into reverse after Monday’s Pilates class – as I woke up on Tuesday very stiff, with a sore throat which has progressed into a cold (I think!). But whatever it is, my Fitstep teacher and hairdresser don’t deserve to find themselves having to quarantine ‘just in case’. So I’m staying in until it goes away. And writing… Work on Picky Eaters 2 is going well, and is great fun to write, but because I’m feel fairly awful – I’m not getting as much done as I want! My life has lit up with binge-watching The Big Bang Theory – what I’m going to do when I finally get through all 12 seasons, I’m not quite sure… And hurrah for The Great British Bakeoff and Strictly Come Dancing, as well as Portrait Artist of the Year…
This week’s photos are from a walk I took along the beach at Bexhill.
Last week I read:
The Ministry For the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Established in 2025, the purpose of the new organization was simple: To advocate for the world’s future generations and to protect all living creatures, present and future. It soon became known as the Ministry for the Future, and this is its story. From legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a vision of climate change unlike any ever imagined.
Told entirely through fictional eye-witness accounts, The Ministry For The Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, the story of how climate change will affect us all over the decades to come. Its setting is not a desolate, post-apocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us – and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face.
Despite NOT being a post-apocalyptic horrorfest, the earlier stages of this interesting book did made tough reading. But I’m glad I persevered as it does provide a message of hope, along with a host of possible fixes. Review to follow.
NOVELLA Masquerade in Lodi – Book 9 of the Penric and Desdemona series by Lois McMaster Bujold
Bastard’s Eve is a night of celebration for most residents in the canal city of Lodi — but not for sorcerer Learned Penric and his Temple demon Desdemona, who find themselves caught up in the affairs of a shiplost madman, a dangerous ascendant demon, and a very unexpected saint of the fifth god.
It was a real treat to turn to more Penric and Desdemona goodness – this is an engaging fast-paced story that I tore through in a single sitting. Review to follow.
Map’s Edge – Book 1 of The Tethered Citadel by David Hair
Dashryn Cowl has run out of places to hide. The erstwhile sorcerer of the Imperial College fled the Bolgravian Empire when his high-flying family fell from grace, but the tyrannical empire is still hunting for him. So when he gets his hands on a map showing a place outside the known lands rich in istariol, the mineral that fuels sorcery, he sees a way back to power. There’s only one problem: it means masquerading as an Imperial Cartomancer (an instant death sentence) and finding some dupes to help him mine the istariol in secret, no questions asked.
But somehow, amid the dangers of the road (floods and avalanches, beasts, barbarians and monsters), a strange thing begins to happen: Dashryn starts to care about his ragtag followers and their strange odyssey into the ruins of an ancient forgotten civilisation. But his past won’t let him be: the implacable Imperial Bloodhound Toran Zorne has caught his scent, and Zorne has never yet failed to bring his quarry to ground. At the edge of the map, there’s no going forward and no going back . . .
If I’m a tad bleary-eyed today, it’s because I sat up faaar into the night, unable to put this delightful fantasy adventure down. It felt a bit like one of those wagon train Wild West stories I used to watch on TV when I was a girl – but with evil sorcerers, instead of corrupt sheriffs. Review to follow.
My posts last week:
Castellan the Black and His Wise Draconic Sayings
Review of NOVELLA Night’s Tooth – Book 1 of Tales of the River Vine series by Jean Lee
Friday Face-off featuring How To Break a Dragon’s Heart – Book 8 of the How To Train a Dragon series by Cressida Cowell
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of The Postscript Murders – Book 2 of the Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths
Cover Love – featuring the covers of Elly Griffiths
Can’t-Wait Wednesday featuring Fallen Princeborn: Chosen – Book 2 of the Fallen Princeborn series by Jean Lee
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Tuesday Treasures – 16
Review of AUDIOBOOK The Stranger Diaries – Book 1 of the Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths
Sunday Post – 18th October 2020
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
Blogger Statistics: a Quick Look https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress.com/2020/10/23/blogger-statistics-a-quick-look/ If you’ve ever wondered who else enjoys blogging alongside you – here are some stats…
10 of the Best Poems About Absence https://interestingliterature.com/2020/10/poems-about-absence/ Do you agree with this selection?
My #BookLaunch #Countdown for #FallenPrinceborn: Chosen Continues with #WritingTips on #Plot and #Character https://jeanleesworld.com/2020/10/22/my-booklaunch-countdown-for-fallenprinceborn-chosen-continues-with-writingtips-on-plot-and-character/ Another interesting article, revealing the writing process of a talented author…
Soaring https://charlesfrenchonwordsreadingandwriting.com/2020/10/21/soaring/ Cindy’s pics are often featured here, as they are fabulous. But this time around I caught up with them on Charles French’s blog…
Kids Books That Share True Stories of Native Peoples https://platformnumber4.com/2020/10/11/kids-books-that-share-true-stories-of-native-peoples/ This list looks both instructive and delightful. And important…
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 