This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books they’ve read and share what they have got up to during the last week.
It’s been a really quiet, peaceful week – a healing week. The days are lengthening and despite bursts of torrential rain and rather bitter northerly breezes, Spring continues to spring in the garden, which is disgracefully weedy and overgrown. I’m hoping as the weather improves that this is the year I get to grips with it for the first time in three years. The pics below show the brave plants prepared to battle the weeds to make a showing – my favourite is the Amber Wave heuchera which is looking fabulous.
The boys went off to Cornwall with their Dad and sisters on Monday. By all accounts and the slew of pictures, they all had a wonderful time. They returned yesterday so everyone had a lovely break. Himself and I hadn’t appreciated just how much we’d needed a few days together, without being Papa and Gran, to just focus on ourselves and each other. Himself has been busy painting his models and looking forward to reorganising his Warhammer orc and goblin armies – it’s lovely to see his enthusiasm again. As for me, I spent a fair amount of the week sitting next to him, while writing the fifth book in the Picky Eaters series, Conclave of Dragons.
Books I’ve read this week:
On the Horns of Death – Book 2 of the Ancient Crete Mystery series by Eleanor Kuhns
Ancient Crete, 1450 BC. When young bull leaper Martis finds Duzi, the newest member of the bull leaping team, dead in the bull pen early one morning. Made to look like he met his end on the horns of the bull, it’s clear to Martis that this was no accident . . .
Martis once again finds herself thrown into a dangerous game of hunting down a murderer as the deaths start to mount. An old friend of Martis’ sister, and possible lover to Duzi, is the next person to be found dead, and Martis’ investigations lead her to believe love and jealousy are at the heart of these crimes against the Goddess.
Is someone targeting the bull leaping community? Or is there something else at play? With only the Shade of her sister Arge to confide in, Martis struggles to untangle the growing web of secrets which stretch around her.
Without a doubt, the ancient Greek setting and details about Martis and her daily life is what stood out for me with this entertaining historical whodunit. I also really like the young protagonist. 8/10
About Time – Book 4 of the Time Police series by Jodi Taylor
Patience is not a virtue known to the Time Police. And Commander Hay is facing the longest day of her life…
After their heroic efforts to safeguard the Acropolis and prevent the Paris Time-Stop, the Time Police have gone from zero to hero. Then one fateful mission to apprehend a minor criminal selling dodgy historical artefacts blows up in all their faces.
An officer is attacked within TPHQ. A prisoner is murdered. And investigations are about to lead to the one place where no officer can legally tread. Worst of all, trouble is brewing for Luke, Jane and Matthew as a shocking revelation threatens to tear Team Weird apart for good.
No one else writes with quite the energy that Taylor brings to her books. Funny, full of action and often poignantly sad – they are always a roller-coaster read and this highly enjoyable offering is no exception. 9/10
AUDIOBOOK – Witch King by Martha Wells
“I didn’t know you were a… demon.”
“You idiot. I’m the demon.”
Kai’s having a long day in Martha Wells’ Witch King…
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions. He’s not going to like the answers.
I’m not sure why the dialogue is included in the blurb – it makes it sound as if this book is funny, and it isn’t. While I enjoyed it, particularly the setting, I found Kai rather closed off and unlike the wonderful Murderbot, we aren’t in first-person viewpoint to be able to fully appreciate his character. However, I loved the world and the stakes and would happily read more about Kai and his adventures. 8/10
Terminal Uprising – Book 2 of the Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse series by Jim C. Hines
Human civilization didn’t just fall. It was pushed.
The Krakau came to Earth in the year 2104. By 2105, humanity had been reduced to shambling, feral monsters. In the Krakau’s defense, it was an accident, and a century later, they did come back and try to fix us. Sort of.
It’s been four months since Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos learned the truth of that accident. Four months since she and her team of hygiene and sanitation specialists stole the EMCS Pufferfish and stopped a bioterrorism attack against the Krakau homeworld. Four months since she set out to find proof of what really happened on Earth all those years ago.
Between trying to protect their secrets and fighting the xenocidal Prodryans, who’ve been escalating their war against everyone who isn’t Prodryan, the Krakau have their tentacles full.
Mops’ mission changes when she learns of a secret Krakau laboratory on Earth. A small group under command of Fleet Admiral Belle-Bonne Sage is working to create a new weapon, one that could bring victory over the Prodryans … or drown the galaxy in chaos.
To discover the truth, Mops and her rogue cleaning crew will have to do the one thing she fears most: return to Earth, a world overrun by feral apes, wild dogs, savage humans, and worse. (After all, the planet hasn’t been cleaned in a century and a half!) What Mops finds in the filthy ruins of humanity could change everything, assuming she survives long enough to share it. Perhaps humanity isn’t as dead as the galaxy thought.
I love this series, which is very funny in places. Mops is a wonderful heroine and this adventure, set within the ruins of a vanished civilisation, is vividly depicted. I’m looking forward to getting hold of the final book in the series with mixed feelings as I’ve loved my time with the Pufferfish crew and would like more than just three books. 9/10
The Ward Witch – Book 1 of the Unholy Island series by Sarah Painter
Mysterious, magical, and a little bit deadly… Welcome to Unholy Island.
Esme Gray runs the guest house and tends to the ethereal wards that protect the island. She’s sheltering from a terrible past and will do anything to stay safely hidden.
Luke Taylor has been searching for his missing twin for months, but has begun to believe that his brother might be dead. With his hope in tatters, a tip off leads him to a remote tidal island in the North Sea. It’s further out than the famous Holy Island, and far stranger.
Visitors shouldn’t be able to stay for more than two nights, so when Luke breaks this rule, the close-knit community is sent into turmoil. The residents of Unholy Island have secrets and they intend to keep them.
When Luke stumbles across one of the islanders dead on the shore, he finds himself under suspicion, made worse by his own troubles washing up on the tide.
Esme is drawn to Luke, but she doesn’t trust her own instincts. That’s not ideal for a witch — especially when there is a killer on the loose and a storm is rolling in…
I’ve loved Painter’s Crow Investigations series and have read all the books so far. I was pleased to see the new series is set in the same world with the same interesting magical system. This book grabbed me from the first page and wouldn’t let go – Painter beautifully evokes the beauty and isolation of a magically hidden community. An outstanding start to a new series. 10/10
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Austen fans.
Ultimately, Mary’s journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love.
I absolutely loved this one. Hadlow provides us with a sensitive, intelligent young woman, who has been dismissed for her plain looks even as a child. Mary Bennet’s over-serious, pompous declarations throughout P & P are shown as her attempts to find a place within a family where beauty, wit and charm are prized above everything else. I loved this version of Austen’s classic and will be looking out for anything else by this author. 10/10
My posts last week:
Castellan and His Wise Draconic Tips on Life
Hope you, too, had some brilliant books to tuck into and wishing you all a happy, healthy week😊.
Brainfluff 
I’m so glad you got a break this week. It’s exhausting being a caregiver all the time. And congrats on finding time to write as well! Your plants are lovely, especially the Amber Wave heuchera! Have a wonderful week, Sarah😁
Thank you, Tammy – yes, we hadn’t appreciated just how tired we both were. Not especially physically, but emotionally. And just being together for a few days was a real treat:)).
It sounds like you had a busy week and can now enjoy some time alone. I hope you can do some gardening. Lovely flowers!
Thank you, Jennie. I’m hoping to be able to get out and do some gentle gardening this year, too.
Nice!
Thrilled you had a quiet and together week. I love seeing your photos. I need to get out and do more. You read some great books too. I’m a huge fan of Jodi Taylor. I enjoyed the Witch King. I think I’ve bought the Jim Hines book and have yet to read it. Melanie reviewed it I’m sure.
Anne – Books of My Heart
Your weather sounds about the same that we had here with that strong wind, but also some warm spring days. I like seeing the pictures of your garden! That sounds lovely how you had a few days with just the two of you. Sounds like you had some good reads this week. I hope next week is a good one for you!
Thank you, Lola. We’ve certainly had more warm Spring days this week. And the pictures of the garden are heavily edited to zone out the weed-infested jungle it is becoming… I hope you, too, have had a better week.
Glad you had some nie together time! As an old gamer I loved hearing about the Warhammer painting! 🙂
Ward Witch sounds fun
Thank you, Greg:). Warhammer has had a huge resurgence since Lockdown, apparently. And The Ward Witch is an awesome read:)).
The plants in your garden are looking absolutely gorgeous! I’m sure the weeds won’t stand a chance! I haven’t got much of a green thumb but my indoor plants are doing okay. They could be better but I’ve still got a lot to learn to get them there!
Haze
https://thebookhaze.com/
Your description of the Austen character is intriguing. I think I was influenced by one of the film versions where she was pretty dumb as well as plain, but maybe there was more in the actual novel than I recall (even though I reread it from time to time.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Your description of the Austen character is intriguing. I think I was influenced by one of the film versions where she was pretty dumb as well as plain, but maybe there was more in the actual novel than I recall (even though I reread it from time to time.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I don’t think Austen depicted Mary being particularly clever – she came across as bookish and a bit silly. But then, quite often when we unsuccessfully try to impress people by being someone we’re not – we come off looking daft. And I like how that is dealt with in this book.
Lol… the weeds are absolutely running riot and we haven’t done a thing about it for the last 3 years since I got ill:)). But we’re hoping this summer we can start to get on top of things so it isn’t such a disgrace. As for the houseplants – the joy is there is so much to learn – and then there is another element whereby a plant can somehow thrive in a place where it shouldn’t and another can struggle when by rights it should be loving it…
I do like quiet weeks. And some time with just you and your husband is nice. My husband paints those miniature figures too. He doesn’t always have the time for it, but he enjoys himself when he does. I am glad you were able to get some good writing time in! Terminal Uprising sounds fun! I still have the first book on my TBR to read. The Ward Witch sounds wonderful! I bet I would enjoy that one too. I hope you have a great week, Sarah!
Thank you, Wendy. It’s lovely to see Himself pick up a hobby that he used to thoroughly enjoy and get involved again – as your husband already knows, once you pick up the paintbrush, everything else fades into the distance:)). Terminal Uprising is full of action and I’m loving the series – if you get a chance to pick up the first book, I highly recommend it. I hope you, too, have had a lovely week.
What a perfect week to relax and recharge. It sounds like you made the most of it. 🙂
Thank you! It was a lovely interlude:)).
What a great reading month! With the weather warming up I’m also looking forward to even more pics of your beautiful garden flowers 🙂
We do need to get out and do something about the jungle that is the garden!! With all the rain and the very fertile soil – it’s all indecently lush, including the weeds.
It’s great to be able to spend some time along with your husband, I think. It can be exhausting to be in charge of grandkids. I’m especially glad you got time to work on your next book in the series.
I can’t wait to see more of your garden this year.
Oh yes, Himself and I rub along very well together and having some ‘us’ time is a treat:)). And writing while Himself is painting is very companionable. As for the garden… yes, we need to get to grips with that!!
I love the heurcha and we have several plants in some of our shade beds. They’re so pretty! So gald you were able to have a healing week and get some time with Himself. I hope this week has been a fantastic one!
Thank you, Katherine. This week has been busy because the boys have been off for Easter, though now Ethan is back at uni, the house seems very quiet and empty. And yes… I love heuchera – there are so many fabulous varieties these days and they so very good tempered:)).
The Other Bennett Sister sounds good! So does About Time, but for totally different reasons!
Thank you, Priscilla:)). They are both superb reads.
Healing weeks are so important. Glad you were able to have one! And the flowers look beautiful. Hope you get a chance to weed the flower bed. That can also be very satisfying.
Yes… it’s a matter of energy levels at present. But I am looking forward to getting out there when I am feeling better:)).