Iron Flower and Edinburgh Dusk and a few other things...

Iron Flower by Laurie Forest continues The Black Witch Chronicles.  I liked the first book a lot, and I like this one even more.  The Black Witch dramatizes the prejudices in Gardneria and illustrates how those prejudices influence the treatment of others.  

In Iron Flower, Elloren and her friends work for the Resistance, but the sinister Marcus Vogel has gained absolute power in Gardneria and is determined to eradicate any opposition.

In fact, Vogel doesn't even want submission, his goal is more ominous.

Elloren continues to gain confidence as the bonds of loyalty grow among her friends, and she commits herself to do all she can to protect those threatened with slavery, imprisonment, and death. 

A lot of action and a little romance kept me turning the pages, but mainly I loved the way these young people are risking everything to stand up for their friends.  Although Rafe and Diana are secondary characters, they are among my very favorites.

An epic YA fantasy, and I can't wait for the next installment!

NetGalley/Harlequin Teen

YA Fantasy.  Sept. 18, 2018.  



Edinburgh Dusk is also a second in a series by Carole Lawrence.  After a perfectly ugh prologue, the book improved.  It is better than the first book in the series, although I didn't review the first book here.

I love Edinburgh so I couldn't help giving the series another try.  While I did like this one better (aside from the yucky prologue), I still couldn't quite get a feel for Ian Hamilton.  

The Hamlet trope was way overdone.

Favorite character:  Conan Doyle is a secondary character that will probably be in the next book as well.  We even get a cameo appearance of Dr. Bell, Doyle's mentor.  

Reviews of Edinburgh Twilight ran the gamut from one to five stars on Goodreads (I gave it a generous 3), but so far the reviews of Edinburgh Dusk are positive.  Since twilight and dusk are synonyms, maybe one should have had a different title.  I don't know that I'd try another in this series.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Historical Mystery.  Sept. 18, 2018.  

And just for fun:

Imaginary Foods

Atlas Obscura asked readers to tell them what fictional foods they wished were real and to describe what they think they would taste like.  

One example:  

Cauldron Cakes from the Harry Potter series

What might it taste like?“A small sponge cake with a ganache, a smooth interior that tastes like chocolate and pepper. So, a spicy chocolate taste. I love sweets and I adore the world of Harry Potter. I immediately envisioned chocolate, and the ‘cauldron’ makes me think spicy. I imagine a delectable treat.” — Cherie, Jacksonville, Florida 

 P.S.  This one had me at ganache (a whipped filling of chocolate and creme), but I have a friend who adds a little pepper to her chocolate cookies--and they are delicious.  I think Cherie has imagined a great description for Cauldron Cakes.

Letters

I'm a fan of snail mail (although I mostly keep that to my other blog), but this might appeal to readers of comics and graphic novels!  I found this at Letter Writers Alliance--
Comics and Correspondence Club for August.

Thursday, August 16th, 2018 - Join Donovan Challenger for an evening of corresponding postally with your favorite comics via letter. Every month, we'll focus on sending mail (real, physical mail) to a specific comic. Need to talk about your feelings on WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT THING? Or WHY DID THEY DO THE OTHER THING? Or HOW DARE THEY? Or even HEY, I LIKE YOU A LOT! We know you have opinions. Time to share them with the people who are actually responsible. No more excuses! We'll have stationery and stamps, envelopes and everything else you need to take the conversation out of the store and into the mail.

They will be writing to Marjory Liu and Sana Takeda, creators of the Monstress fantasy series.  

in care of:

Image Comics, Inc.
2701 NW Vaughn Street, Suite 780
Portland, Oregon 97210

If you live in Chicago, you might want to attend, but if you don't, it is an interesting idea that you could do on your own.  Write to the writers, illustrators, or to one of your favorite characters.

If you read graphic novels, what character or series would you want to write to?  Have any of you read any of the Monstress series?  I love the covers.

Expose by Danielle Girard

Expose is the third book in this series featuring Anna Swartzman, but the first I've read.

What I liked:  Hal.  The forensics.

Not so much:  Women tortured and killed by evil psychopath.  One psychopath isn't enough, so add Anna's ex-lover to the mix.  Oh, and a cliff-hanger.

Although I received this one from NetGalley, all three books in the series are available at KindleUnlimited.  

Read in June.  Blog review scheduled for July 17.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Mystery/Crime.  July 24, 2018.  Print length:  378 pages.



Just for fun...

:) For the Librarians

When libraries troll their patrons...

Book Lover Emojis

These are just spot on!  Book Lover Emojis--I want them all.

The "I stayed up all night reading!" emoji.

And you need to check the

"No Spoilers" and "Cliffhanger" versions!

The World's Coolest Bookstores & Other Miscellany

Via CNN Style, this slide show of fascinating bookstores has articles describing each in more detail if you scroll down.

From the famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris to a bookstore in China where backpackers can stay overnight; from a former glove factory in Detroit converted into the largest new and used bookstore in the world to the John King Used & Rare Books, also in Detroit, which has a copy of the writings of Thomas Aquinas published in 1482 in Venice.  Beautiful pictures and interesting details.
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Have you heard of Bookbub?  Free and discounted ebooks - nice.  This article in the NY Times explains more about these one day deals.  "At HarperCollins, executives said they have seen books designated as daily deals go from 11 copies sold in one day, to 11,000 copies the next."
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OK - I have a weakness for genius kids, robots, and androids. Have therefore decided I must watch at least one episode of Annedroids to see what Anne comes up with in her junkyard laboratory.
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I've finished Visions by Kelley Armstrong, an ARC that arrived in the mail.  I read Omens last year and was so excited to have another Cainesville interlude.  I've become a big fan of Armstrong and will review it soon.  Also recently in the mail, Bitter River by Julia Keller.  Another very good book and yet to be reviewed.  And on Wed., an uncorrected bound manuscript by Louise Penny arrived:  The Long Way Home.  I haven't even started it, but it is Louise Penny so I expect to love it.

A couple from NetGalley that I'm looking forward to are now on my Kindle.  What a book glutton am I!  
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I've finished more Halloween figures and still have a few in progress.  Working on altering a book as a Book of Spells for a Halloween prop.  Love Halloween!  More details on my other blog.  

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It is getting close to time for Carl's R.I.P. challenge.  Any good suggestions for this year's R.I.P. challenge?  I'll suggest Edgar Cantero's Supernatural Enhancements which I recently reviewed.  And if you haven't read any Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White is a perfect book for the challenge--well, any Wilkie Collins, but Woman in White is my favorite.  

A few favorites from previous R.I.P. challenges:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly (Hambly has quite a few good possibilities)
Almost anything by Sax Rohmer (especially if you want a vintage twist)
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom (plenty of Gothic elements)

I think I've reviewed all of the above during one challenge or another.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Interesting Bookish Stuff

A short video on

women writers of science fiction and fantasy

from Open Road Media.   

 (Ellen Datlow, Jane Yolen, Elizabeth Hand, Kate Elliot, N.K. Jemisin)

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Love this reading chair.

Tutorial found here.

Wanna' Join?

via Not on High Street

Hey girl.

I fell in love with the Handmade Ryan Gosling site only to discover that there is also a Literary Ryan Gosling site and a Librarian Ryan Gosling site!

Around the Blog World

I first saw Thomas Allen's work on Sam's Book Chase blog.  What fun!

This one is a favorite.

Carl's R.I.P. Challenge is going on and this is the first year since it started that I haven't participated.  At least so far.  Must do something about it.  I've read a number of books this year that would have qualified for this challenge--now I wish I'd held back on some of them.   I need some new gothic-type titles.         

You can turn your blog into a book.  Jeez, I wonder what that would cost for those of us who have been blogging for years?         

We all love creative bookshelves, but this older idea is such an easy DIY.

These are amusing:

I love the way I can explore the creative world from right here at home!

                                                                                                                         

Interpreting Classics :)

Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries, interprets literary classics...

Book Tree

Isn't this wonderful?  I love, love, love it!  From DesignArtist.

I've been decorating for Valentine's Day.  My stack of old books received a new ribbon, I've made a new doll (Valentina), and I've been playing with other crafty things, too.  Most of the crafty stuff is on my other blog, but I'm pleased with this little vignette and wanted to share.

Journals and Embroidery

I ordered another journal from Iliana and can't wait to write on these creamy pages! Beautiful, isn't it? The birdies feel right at home in my garden. You can visit her Etsy Shop, Bookgirl's Studio, and browse through some of her beautiful handmade journals.

(click pictures to enlarge)

I've finished my latest embroidered tee shirt and am playing with designs on linen. I draw the design with a water soluble pen, then keep adding on as I go.Details from other tee shirts and embroidered pieces from the last month.Books? I've got a bunch of yoga books that I've finished and need to review. One advanced reader's copy to review and several more to read. I've begun and discarded several library books that turned out to be mistakes.

How to Deal with Zombies!

I just couldn't help it! I've watched it a couple of times and smile even when I think about it. Perfect for Carl's RIP Challenge...

A Parade!

I posted a bunch of pictures of the annual Barkus & Meow Mardi Gras Parade over at Bayou Quilts, but I wanted to share this one here. (click on picture to enlarge)This parade of dogs, cats, miniature horses, guinea pigs, and this year, one pot-bellied pig is sponsored by Pet Savers. Many of the dogs in the parade were adopted in previous years, and there was a section of kennels of dogs that needed homes, so the legacy of pet adoption continues.

It is tremendous fun and serves such a good purpose.

Rejections, Dancers, Books

No Thanks, Mr. Nabokov by David Oshinsky discusses manuscripts rejected by Alfred A. Knopf Inc. While Knopf has published "the works of 17 Nobel Prize-winning authors as well as 47 Pulitzer Prize-winning volumes of fiction, nonfiction, biography and history," they have also let some good ones get away. The article lists some of the authors and works as well as some of the rejection letters--some kind and encouraging and one that ended with "Lay off, MacDuff"! :) Entertaining and informative.

I found this wonderful video of Deaf Chinese Dancers on Living the Questions and thought it too beautiful not share. You have to hang on a while to see the dancers but they are worth the wait.

I've finished two more books: Season of the Witch and Long Ago in France. These marathon reads at night will probably end soon, but I'm reveling in reading right now.

Would You Like Your Own Daemon?

I found this on Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic. What fun! You, too, can create your daemon! Thanks, Stephanie!

Finished All Creatures Great and Small yesterday--and it was as good as the first time.
Last night, I put aside the quilt I'm binding and started Inkheart and think I've fallen in love! Thanks to all of you for your high recommendations on this one.

An Assortment of Goodies

Have you ever wanted a literary umbrella?


Well Luminary Graphics can provide you with one of several different
versions! Or great bookmarks, or bookbags, mugs, playing cards, or journals.

I love the Magritte bookmark!











Here is a review of new YA fantasy novel that sounds interesting. It is the final volume in the series, but the review gives background on all of them. Also, here at January Magazine there is a link to the Guardian article Defining the Decades and in the post Margaret Atwood and the Defining Books of Our Era, you can scroll down to see the complete list.

How about a book truck?

I would love to see this truck rollin' down the highway. Of course, I'd be trying to read the titles, the post-it note, and the bulletin board!

In progress - The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips. Claire is working on her dissertation on the Spanish Conspiracy and manages to attend a conference in Venice where she can to research using primary sources. The first catch: She must act as chaperone to a fourteen-year-old girl. The second catch: A well-known historian, author, and Cambridge professor is also working on an aspect of the Spanish Conspiracy. O.K. so far. Alternating chapters move from Claire's difficulties in the present to Allesandra Rossetti in 1618.