The Girl with Ghost Eyes is an enjoyable read, but I felt like it was straddling the line between YA and adult historical fantasy, which threw me off a little. I can't put my finger on why it felt like that. Li-lin is not a teenager, she's in her early 20s, I think, and a widow. So, it's not her age. There isn't a love triangle. I listened to the audio, and maybe the writing sounded a bit simple at times and there were definitely repetitive sections. I don't know. Am I the only one who got that feeling? I listened to the audio and was glad that I did. Zeller brings Li-lin to life, but I also like to hear the Chinese words and phrases, not try to struggle with reading them.
Li-lin is a good character. She is tough and strong and a talented martial artist. She's also a Daoist exorcist who has ghost eyes, meaning she can see all the spirits, ghosts...
I had never read anything by Charlotte MacLeod until I read her story in Mistletoe Mysteries a couple of weeks ago. When I was looking for a Christmas mystery that I hadn't read yet, I ran across Rest You Merry. Since her story in the collection had been fine, not one of my favorites but not one I disliked, and this is the first in a series, I decided to give it a listen. I'm glad I did. Peter Shandy is a great character and the way the holiday tied into the mystery was well-done. I don't want to spoil anything but the way the murder was covered up was very Christmassy.
I loved the beginning. After being begged for years to decorate his house for the annual celebration/fundraiser, Peter finally does, and goes purposely way overboard and tacky - and then leaves town. Perfect. Of course, he has to come back and face the (too loud) music earlier than he...
Around my house, the common knowledge is I don't like sci-fi. Amber and David watch sci-fi movies without me, I avoid sci-fi tv shows and rarely read books that fall solidly into the sci-fi genre. I'm not saying all sci-fi sucks; in general it's just not my cup of tea. But, The Fold came up on the list of recommendations when I logged into my Audible account so I decided to give it a shot - turned out it was a good choice.
This has been described as Sherlock meets sci-fi and I think that rings true. Mike is a full-out genius with a photographic memory who has been trying to be normal, until he can't pass up his friend's proposition that he head out to California to investigate the Albuquerque door. Turns out he's the perfect person for the job, brilliant, curious, observant but with some common sense. I really liked him.
It's no surprise that "folding dimensions" turns out to...
I know "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is not actually a folk tale, but it has become so familiar to us, so much a part of our culture, that I think it still fits in my rather loose Thursday Tales collection. I've read the story of the schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane several times and I love the descriptions of the area and the locals. It really sets the stage for the story.
They are given to all kinds of marvelous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequesntly see strange sights and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols.
The dominant spirit however that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the...