is is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
This last week has been intense – up until Thursday, we had temperatures into the 90s. And while I’m aware many of you reading this are regularly used to such weather, this is the first time EVER in the UK that we have had such a run of days when the weather was so blisteringly hot. We simply aren’t equipped to deal with these conditions. I didn’t particularly suffer, but then I’m living in the wrong part of the world, anyway. However, on Tuesday evening my daughter phoned, sounding dreadful. She was suffering with a severe stomach upset and asked if I could do a spot of shopping and then come up on Wednesday to help her look after the children. The drive was a shocker as there were roadworks and it took me over two hours to get to her house, which was unbearably hot, as their conservatory acted as a heat sink. The children were so very good, given they’d been confined to the house for the past several days and were far too hot. It was lovely to see them and I was able to give my daughter a bit of a break.
Finally, on Thursday we had some rain, thankfully avoiding the violent thunderstorms that have hit other parts of the country, causing power cuts and flash flooding and the temperature dropped to the 70s – far more tolerable, even though it was a tad sticky. And there it has stayed, until today where it is now in the high 60s. I’m glad to see the rain, as the countryside was starting to look desiccated and part of our ivy hedge at the front is now dying☹. Rebecca also reported that she was feeling a lot better, so we came to the conclusion that it was heat exhaustion causing her illness. My photos today feature the late summer flowers now blooming in the garden.
am now smitten with a summer cold – it definitely isn’t COVID-19 as I just have a streaming nose and slight sore throat. But I feel wiped out and a bit fed up. Thank goodness I have a pile of wonderful books to get through and Upload to binge-watch.
Last week I read:
Chasing the Shadows – Book 2 of the Sentinels of the Galaxy by Maria V. Snyder
Okay, so I only died for sixty-six seconds. But when I came back to life, I got a brand new name and a snazzy new uniform. Go me! Seriously, though, it’s very important that Lyra Daniels stays dead, at least as far as my ex-friend Jarren, the murdering looter, knows. While dying is the scariest thing that’s happened to me, it morphed my worming skills. I can manipulate the Q-net like never before. But Jarren has blocked us from communicating with the rest of the galaxy and now they believe we’ve gone silent, like Planet Xinji (where silent really means dead).
A Protector Class spaceship is coming to our rescue, but we still have to survive almost two years before they arrive – if they arrive at all. Until then, we have to figure out how to stop an unstoppable alien threat. And it’s only a matter of time before Jarren learns I’m not dead and returns to finish what he started. There’s no way I’m going to let Jarren win. Instead I’ll do whatever it takes to save the people I love. But even I’m running out of ideas…
A thoroughly enjoyable continuation of this YA sci fi adventure, I really like Lyra’s chirpy can-do attitude. Review to follow.
Grave Secrets – Book 1 of the Lavington Windsor Mysteries by Alice James
Agatha Raisin meets Sookie Stackhouse, with croquet and zombies.
Toni Windsor is trying to live a quiet life in the green and pleasant county of Staffordshire. She’d love to finally master the rules of croquet, acquire a decent boyfriend and make some commission as an estate agent.
All that might have to wait, though, because there are zombies rising from their graves, vampires sneaking out of their coffins and a murder to solve. And it’s all made rather more complicated by the fact that she’s the one raising all the zombies. Oh, and she’s dating one of the vampires too. Really, what’s a girl meant to do?
This funny and rather gory urban fantasy romp does exactly what it says on the strapline – Toni is a younger version of Agatha, facing vampires that wouldn’t look out of place in a Sookie Stackhouse novel. Review to follow.
NOVELLA Silver in the Wood – Book 1 of The Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh
There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.
When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past—both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.
This is a poetic and enchanting tale with some interesting twists I didn’t see coming. Mini-review to follow.
My posts last week:
Castellan the Black and His Wise Draconic Musings
Review of The Calculating Stars – Book 1 of the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Kowal Robinette
Friday Face-off featuring My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Review of AUDIOBOOK The Last Olympian – Book 5 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
Can’t-Wait-Wednesday featuring The Green Man’s Silence – Book 3 of The Green Man series by Juliet E. McKenna
Tuesday Treasures – 8
Cover reveal for Mantivore Warrior – Book 3 of The Arcadian Chronicles
Review of INDIE Ebook Flower Power Trip – Book 3 of the Braxton Campus mysteries by James J. Cudney
Sunday Post – 9th August 2020
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
Leaders of the Pack https://platformnumber4.com/2020/08/08/leaders-of-the-pack/ Becky’s posts are always worth reading – but the video she included of this particular song vividly brought back a raft of childhood memories… What is the song that does that for you?
Final Flurry and Fotos https://cindyknoke.com/2020/08/08/final-flurry/ What a masterful photographer Cindy is…
Backlist Books I Still Need to Read This Year https://comfortreadsbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/11/backlist-books-i-still-need-to-read-this-year/ My reading plans for 2020 have been blown out of the water, so it’s a really good idea to sit down and decide which books to prioritise for the rest of the year – as Jess has…
When architecture and art collide https://africanhomage.com/architecture-sculpture-collide/ I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thought-provoking article…
Change of Colonisation Futures in our Solar System https://rosieoliver.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/change-of-colonisation-futures-in-our-solar-system/ As a scientist and science fiction writer, Rosie’s article on how some of the latest discoveries can impact sci fi writing is fascinating…
Thank you for visiting, reading, liking and/or commenting on my blog – I hope you and yours have a peaceful, healthy week. Take care.
and staying at home. But what has kept my head straight is my love of reading and writing – thank goodness for both! I’ve also loved the wonderful sunny weather – it’s been a joy being able to sit in the garden and watch Spring springing… I’m conscious that I am very blessed. And given that none of us can guarantee if we will survive this, I’ve determined to be as thankful for every coming day as I can be. So despite everything, this has been a very precious April. 
We’re still fine. Himself is still driving trains, though not so many. I’m still working on the tweaks to Mantivore Warrior, which are going well, though not particularly fast. Other than that, the days bleed into each other and slide by at a frightening rate… 
an Skies – Book 6 of the Fallen Empire series by Lindsay Buroker
BLURB: Once an outlaw spellslinger, Kellen Argos has made a life for himself as the Daroman Queen’s protector. A little magic and a handful of tricks are all it takes to deal with the constant threats to her reign. But when rumors of an empire-shattering war begin to stir, Kellen is asked to commit an unimaginable act to protect his queen.
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.
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. 
Lizzy and her friends weren’t looking for trouble – all they’d wanted was to prove that fertile English girls could handle themselves when on shore leave without being accompanied by a sour-faced chaperone and armed guard. Looking back, maybe taking a jaunt off-limits on Space Station Hawking wasn’t the best idea – but no one could have foreseen the outcome. Or that the consequences of that single expedition would change the lives of all four girls, as well as that of the stranger who stepped in to save them.
service are crushed…
Brainfluff 