Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe

Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe

by Carol2 Comments
I have mixed feelings about Bishop to Queen by Lexy Wolfe. I didn't know it was the second in the series until I started to get this post ready. I did feel like this worked fine as a stand-alone and given the beginning and end of this one, I do wonder how the first fit in, but don't think I'll bother going back to read it. On the one hand, I enjoyed reading Bishop to Queen. I flew through it and maybe put off doing some work to read it instead. It was a fun book that moved along at a good pace. The characters were interesting and amusing if slightly one-dimensional. The idea of what makes a being human and what makes someone "good," while not a new topic in sci-fi, was explored well here. There were a couple of things I didn't like about the book too. First, as I mentioned, the characters were not a multi-dimensional as I could...
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Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon

by Carol10 Comments
Reading… The Turn of the Key by Ruth WareThe Bayern Agenda by Dan Moren Listening To… The Guest List by Lucy Foley Books reviewed last week… The Fifth Season by N.K. JemisonEight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson Watching… We watched Game Night which was fun. I was a bit disappointed in some of their games choices though. https://youtu.be/fNtLIcyjsnI In the kitchen this week… I made the most delicious blueberry streusel coffee cake. I need to start looking for zucchini recipes in addition to blueberry ones. New to me stuff… Kayaking is not new to me, but we kayaked on the Shenango River for the first time Friday. 8 miles on a beautiful day. This week’s to-do list… We have a meeting for work next Sunday that I need to get a bunch of stuff ready for. Blah! Looking forward to… The new season of the Alienist started today, so hopefully we'll start watching that. David's going up to the lake not this coming week but the week after, do Amber and I will hang out some. A...
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Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

by Carol2 Comments
Eight Perfect Murders is clever. Mal posted a list of eight "perfect" murders on a blog years ago and now someone is using the list to conduct their own murder spree. Maybe. I love all the references to other mysteries, but if they're on your to-read list, be aware that this book contains lots and lots of spoilers, and not just for books on the list. I've read several Mal references, but need to pick up Malice Aforethought and A Secret History and maybe watch the movie version of Death Trap. I found The Drowner to be the most uninteresting on the list and will just skip it. It's probably not a good sign that my favorite parts of the book were the bits about mysteries by other authors. The mystery in Eight Perfect Murders is actually well done. Mal, who is telling us the story, is a well-rounded, flawed character. He owns a mystery bookstore but doesn't read mysteries anymore. He's...
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The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

by Carol2 Comments
The Fifth Season is an amazing book. It's set on a post-apocalyptic earth that's plagued by constant seismic activity. This leads to frequent near-extinction events called "Fifth Seasons" that keep people always on alert. The evidence of past civilizations litters the planet -- ruined cities, incomplete 'stonelore' handed down from earlier generations, and strange obelisks that float through the atmosphere. The Sanze Empire has survived for centuries by harnessing the power of orogenes -- people born the ability to control their environment. The orogenes can stop earthquakes or start them. They can save cities, or draw power from living creatures and "ice" them. Their powers are terrifying but essential such a volatile world, so the empire develops a caste of Guardians who have the power to neutralize the orogenes when necessary. The orogenes are held in contempt and called "roggas" by ordinary humans. Despite all their power, they cannot control their own lives. They are either hunted down and destroyed...
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Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon

by Carol14 Comments
Reading… The Turn of the Key by Ruth WareEight Perfect Murders by Pete Swanson Listening To… The Guest List by Lucy Foley Books reviewed last week… None, but I did schedule a couple for later in the year. Watching… No movies, nothing new on TV. Have you seen anything lately that you loved. I did watch a reading of Venus de Milo by the Pittsburgh Public Theater on Zoom. It was cute. Next week they're doing DOT by Colman Domingo. In the kitchen this week… I made a delicious blueberry lemon icebox cake with blueberries from the backyard. New to me stuff… We played Dominion: Menagerie for the first time in Friday. It was fun, as are all the others in that board game series. Today’s to do list… We already got a bunch of bushes trimmed today. We're going to my mom's for dinner and will have to water plants later if it doesn't rain. Looking forward to… We're going to the lake for a few days later this week. Hopefully it will be nice...
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