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 an epic week. I’m very grateful that we have a bit of a break with the Easter holidays – no regular ferrying Ethan back and forth to college and no overseeing Oscar’s home schooling programme. The boys and I gave ourselves some major lie-ins during the week. And then, on Thursday they both went away with their stepdad for the weekend – and the big bonus is that they’ll be spending time with their sisters, too. I drove to Lancing to drop them off and then returned home again – the furthest journey I’ve driven since I got sick in March 2021. While I negotiated the heavy holiday traffic with no difficulty, I was a bit shocked at just how tired I felt in the evening and the following morning. But it’s another milestone to tick off and celebrate – the round trip is just over twenty-four miles. However, it took me nearly an hour to get home, given how busy the roads were.
Though that achievement has paled into insignificance compared with another HUGE milestone – both practically and emotionally. I was within touching distance of the end of Problems With Power, which is the third novel in my Picky Eaters series, featuring grumpy grandfather dragon, Castellan the Black. And once I got up and got going on Friday, I was able to sit down and just write without any interruptions. So I decided that I wouldn’t push, but just keep going until I was beginning to feel tired. And that’s what I did. The result was that I comfortably wrote over 4,000 words and was able to type THE END halfway down the last page.
I’ve always written stories, ever since I was a small child – though during the years when my children were very young, I gave up both reading and writing after dreaming that I’d left them in the bath, then got caught up in a book and forgotten they were there! However, once I started writing again in my thirties, I always knew I wanted to be an author. And last year, as the months rolled by and I was still unable to write more than a handful of sentences due to the brain fog and exhaustion that constantly afflicted me – I was facing the prospect that I’d never be able to write again. Even when I asked my very sympathetic Dr if I would make a full recovery, he couldn’t offer me any reassurance. Ironically, it didn’t affect my book review writing. But that is an enjoyable hobby I regard as light relief from the serious job of making up stories that are good enough for other people to read and enjoy.
What makes this particular novel special is that I was halfway through Chapter 8 on 4th March 2021 when I got sick with Covid-19. And it wasn’t until June last year that I began to be able to start writing fiction again, just a few hundred words here and there. Often there were long breaks between my writing days. So it has taken me just over two years to get the first draft completed – and for a lot of that time, I began to think this would be the unfinished manuscript to mark the end of my writing career. I’m still not who I was before – I don’t foresee being able to return to the classroom. Every so often I find myself hunting for a particular word that will not come – the boys think it hilarious, but as someone who has always been effortlessly articulate, at times I feel very diminished. So I’m humbly thankful that my writing mojo has at last fully returned. After writing the final words, I cried with relief.
On Saturday, Himself and I decided to visit Highdown Gardens as a treat. The weather was glorious and the pics are some of the spring flowers we saw growing there. We are so lucky to have these wonderful gardens so close to home.
As I’ve been really busy writing, my reading has taken a hammering – only two books this last week and one of those is an audiobook.
Last week I read:-
The Exes by Jane Lythell
When Holly is bequeathed a large but derelict house, she wants to share her good fortune. So she gets in touch with former boyfriend Ray, a builder who can project-manage the renovation in exchange for the basement flat. The spacious middle floor would make a glorious studio space—perfect for her friend and first love, Spencer. And before Holly knows it, the upper floor is let to soon-to-be ex-husband James, who’s on a path of reinvention from city highflyer to osteopath. What could possibly go wrong?
But no good deed goes unpunished, and soon the house is riddled with tension, rivalry, and petty spitefulness. And as Holly is beset with migraines, nausea, and spiralling self-doubt, even the house itself seems to be turning against her. But for someone, everything is going to plan . . .
I know and enjoy Jane Lythell’s writing – see my review of Woman of the Hour – so when she contacted me to ask if I’d like to read and review her latest release, I was happy to do so, despite domestic noir not being my go-to genre. I’m glad I did. This was a riveting read that had me staying up far too late! Review to follow. 9/10
AUDIOBOOK – Blood Ties – Book 2 of the Agents of the Crown series by Lindsay Buroker
Recently appointed Crown Agents Jev and Zenia must prove that they’re worthy of their new jobs and young King Targyon’s trust. Their mission?
To research the strange “disease of the blood” that killed Targyon’s three cousins and left him unexpectedly ruling an entire kingdom at barely twenty years of age.
There are just a few problems. If someone was responsible for creating that disease, that person could still be in the city, forcing Zenia and Jev to deal with someone very smart and very dangerous. Meanwhile, since Targyon has the same blood flowing through his veins that his cousins had, he’s at risk of becoming the next victim. And as it so happens, Jev shares some of that blood too. Might he become a target before Targyon? When Jev and Zenia signed on for this job, they didn’t realize how deadly it might become.
I thoroughly enjoy Buroker’s magical mix of action, adventure, enjoyable snark and a sprinkling of cute romance. The pacing is always well judged, the characters memorable and nuanced, with traits that can trip them up and add to the mayhem, while the worldbuilding is vividly depicted, so I can effortlessly visualise where they are and what is happening. I am also very impressed with the high standard of her production values – I love Vivienne Leheny’s narration. Once again, this second book has delivered the goods and I’m looking forward to getting hold of the next one in this series. 9/10
My posts last week:
Castellan the Black and his Wise Dragonic Musings on Life
Can’t-Wait-Wednesday featuring The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna
*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of NETGALLEY arc Frontier by Grace Curtis
Hope you, too, had some brilliant books to tuck into and wishing you all a happy, healthy week😊.
This edition was produced by Voyager in March 2012 and is an excellent effort. I love the embossed, highly stylised lion in gold against the lush red background. My main reason in not making this my favourite is that I think the author font is rather overbearing and unbalances the cover. I get that Kay’s name is the selling point on the cover, but I do feel the size and heft of it, in comparison to the title and design is too much.
Published in June 2005 by Harper Voyager, this cover is another attractive offering, with a pleasing feel of historical adventure. I really like the warm tones of this cover and I think the artwork and design is appropriate and eyecatching – that pattern works well. While the author font clearly denotes this is the reader magnet, I think the balance between the title and author name is far better than the previous cover. I could have done without the title textbox taking up nearly a third of the cover, though.
This edition, published by HarperCollins in May 1996 is also a strong contender. I like the strong nod to the Middle Ages in the artwork, which is striking and attractive and I particularly love the title font. And for once, I don’t mind the textboxes… In trying to work out why they don’t irritate me with this book design, I’ve come to the conclusion that the artwork is exactly the right dimension for the design and subject, therefore I don’t resent the fact it isn’t larger.
This edition, produced by Viking Canada, is the least effective of all the covers, which is a shame, because that artwork is absolutely beautiful. I love the fact the characters are all looking at something we can’t see. But this one doesn’t work all that well in thumbprint, as it is rather dark. And despite loving some of the detail of the font used in both the title and author font, it is too faint against the strong colours of the artwork.
This French edition, published by J’ai Lu in 2005 is my favourite. I love the whole design with that fabulous lion profile against the marvellous medieval Spanish building in the background, looking very like the Alhambra Palace in Granada. While the title and author fonts are a mess – not remotely suitable for the genre, or the right size and design – I’ll overlook that sin for once. Which is your favourite?
Two years after the initial invasion of Hayden’s World, the newly reinforced Hayden Militia is in a state of stalemate with the remaining enemy forces but neither side is content to leave things at that. The alien alliance has dispatched their varsity to clean up the resistance on Hayden while the USF has officially activated Task Force V, the latest and most advanced combat ships built by humans. In the end there are some things you decide in the skies, but some can only be settled in the mud.
All that Sergeant James Milburn wants is to heal. Sent to finish his convalescence in a lonely village in the north of England, the friends he’s lost haunt his dreams. If he can only be declared fit for active service again, perhaps he can rejoin his surviving mates in the fight across Sicily and either protect them or die alongside them.
first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead. Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
Deep in the heart of Presadia’s Great Forest lie many secrets, including the ancient ruins of a once-magnificent palace. A chance encounter with a bedraggled stranger and the discovery of broken shards of a magical mirror lead Antimony, an unusually tall dwarf, on a journey of discovery.
eries by Cressida Cowell
After nearly five decades (and, indeed, the same number of volumes), one might think they were well-acquainted with the Lady Isabella Trent–dragon naturalist, scandalous explorer, and perhaps as infamous for her company and feats of daring as she is famous for her discoveries and additions to the scientific field. And yet–after her initial adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of war-torn Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia–the Lady Trent has captivated hearts along with fierce minds. This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure–scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland’s enemies–and what she discovered there, Within the Sanctuary of Wings.
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life. I couldn’t feel the joy of motherhood. I found myself often staring out a window, trapped in walls yet somehow exiled outside of feeling. I’d look upon my sleeping baby and feel nothing but guilt because I couldn’t feel complete with motherhood. Then a friend introduced me to the awesome challenge that is 
The short stories began as a writing experiment last year. My husband had been listening to
seemed to be the main thing. His robes hiked up to his knees. His legs were pale, and his soft-soled slippers were worn nearly through. Lixxa knew her business, and followed when the others filed out through the gate. All eyes were on Lazlo and all were wide—except for Thyon’s, which were narrow with fury. “You can keep the books,” Lazlo told him, and left him standing there. He took one last look at the gathered crowd—scarlet robes and the occasional gray—and spotted Master Hyrrokkin, looking stunned and proud. Lazlo nodded to the old man—the only person besides Thyon who knew what this meant to him, and the only person in the world who might be happy for him—and he nearly wept.
Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.
blades. Yuda knew his own strength and his weakness; he did not stay locked with Sarl, but darted back, mocking him with speed and lightness of foot. When Sarl strode after him, he returned to the attack, searing the icy armour with tongues of fire.
Brainfluff 