Category: General

WWW Wednesday

Posted August 21, 2024 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

WWW Wednesday questions:

  • What have you recently finished reading?
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What are you planning on reading next?

So as usual, here’s my answers!

Cover of Precious by Helen MolesworthWhat have you recently finished reading?

The last book I finished was Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time, by Helen Moleworthy. Each chapter discusses a different gem stone, like rubies, diamonds and jade, and tries to weigh up what makes the gem special and give a little of its history. I enjoyed it, for the most part, though I must admit that gemstones don’t do anything special for me — or perhaps I’ve just never handled a particularly beautiful one.

Cover of Wormwood Abbey by Christina BaehrWhat are you currently reading?

As usual, I have a couple of things on the go at once. I’ve started on a new series by MXTX, Heaven Official’s Blessing, and now I’m onto the second book. I’m a little lost with all the lore, to be honest, and a friend suggested I try watching the donghua to get things straightened out. So I’ll probably do that soon! I’m enjoying the relationship between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, though.

I’ve also just barely started reading Wormwood Abbey, by Christina Baehr. I think someone in the Bookly Discord mentioned reading that, and it caught my attention because there’s a tiny dragon on the cover! I need to settle down and read a bit more.

Cover of Mr Pottermack's Oversight by R. Austin FreemanWhat are you planning on reading next?

I just got a bunch of new books for my birthday, so perhaps more from that stack. There’s a couple of new-to-me mysteries, including two by Joan Cockin — I recently tried Curiosity Killed The Cat, which I enjoyed, so maybe it’s time to read more of those. Or maybe this month’s British Library Crime Classic, Mr Pottermack’s Oversight by R. Austin Freeman, before I start building up a backlog.

I have options, as you see!

What are you reading?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I’d Like To Be Pals With

Posted August 20, 2024 by Nicky in General / 16 Comments

This week’s theme from That Artsy Reader Girl is a relationship freebie: pick a relationship and then ten characters who you want to have that kind of relationship with, e.g. siblings, found family, etc. I’ve gone with friends — and I’m going to try to pick side characters, rather than the main event, since main characters tend to have a lot of drama (and sometimes danger) coming their way…

Cover of The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System vol 3 by MXTX Cover of System Collapse by Martha Wells Cover of Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie Cover of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison Cover of Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

  1. Liu Mingyan, from The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System (MXTX). I think Mingyan and I have some things in common — we could definitely talk about books, if nothing else!
  2. Ratthi, from The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells). He seems like such a sweetie, and Martha Wells did say in an interview that of all her characters, he’d be a lot of fun to hang out with.
  3. Medic, from Ancillary Sword (Ann Leckie). In part, it’d be just kind of funny to get a Medic’s-eye-view of Breq, Seivarden, and all the trouble they bring with them.
  4. Csevet, from The Goblin Emperor (Katherine Addison). In the same vein as Medic, really, it’d be fun to get a different view of Maia and the court. And Csevet seems pretty fun.
  5. Lord Ruthven, from Strange Practice (Vivian Shaw). He knows so much, and he’s kind, and let’s face it, he’d probably make me cookies if I asked.
  6. Amanda Frisby, from Band Sinister (KJ Charles). I think we could make a pretty neat book club between me, Amanda and Liu Mingyan.
  7. Harriet Vane, from Strong Poison (Dorothy L. Sayers). Here’s another one for the book club. Sure, we’d all need some time to adjust to each others’ cultures and time periods, and I’m not sure if we’d all agree about the merits of each others’ reading matter, but you can bet after that we’d have the most fun.
  8. Lenore, from Shady Hollow (Juneau Black). She owns a bookshop. We’re natural friends. And while we’re talking about that book club idea, Lenore’s a good addition too (though I doubt she and Mingyan would see eye to eye).
  9. Dr Chef, from The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Becky Chambers). Okay, maybe this is slightly another one where I’d love him to cook for me. But also he has a heck of a perspective on the world from all he’s seen, and tries to be so kind and inclusive.
  10. Natalie Oscott, from The Tropic of Serpents (Marie Brennan). She drops out of the series and pursues her own career, and I’d love to hear more about her efforts at pushing boundaries.

Cover of Band Sinister by K.J. Charles Cover of Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers Cover of Shady Hollow by Juneau Black Cover of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Cover of Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan

There we go, I succeeded without any main characters! And I think this book club idea would be really good, if only…

Looking forward to seeing other folks’ posts on this theme — don’t forget to drop your link in the comment if you visit.

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Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post

Posted August 17, 2024 by Nicky in General / 24 Comments

Getting this post up bright and early (…compared to usual) because today I’m heading out for a nerdy museum trip to celebrate my birthday (which is on Tuesday). Somehow I’m sure I’ll pass by a bookshop as well…

Books acquired this week

We’re finally on the tail-end of my last haul, just as my birthday hurtles toward us promising yet more books (oh no!). Here’s the last of the non-fiction I haven’t already shown off:

Cover of The Language Puzzle by Steven Mithen Cover of The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters For Social Equality by Kathryn Paige Harden Cover of Precious by Helen Molesworth Cover of Fabric by Victoria Finlay

Huh, makes a kinda pattern with those colours. I didn’t do that intentionally, but kinda cool. As ever, it’s a bit of a random mix; I wonder if Fabric is going to cover pretty much the same ground as Worn, which I read recently. I might backburner it for a while for that reason.

And here’s the remainder of the fiction:

Cover of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid Cover of Til Death Do Us Bard by Rose Black Cover of A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

I’m excited about A Sorceress Comes to Call, and Til Death Do Us Bard looks fun (if maybe a bit silly).

And of course, I did also receive this month’s British Library Crime Classic. It’s by an author I’ve read before, but I don’t think any of his full-length novels have been republished in this series yet (maybe some short stories):

Cover of Mr Pottermack's Oversight by R. Austin Freeman

And finally, a bit on a whim, a bit because I do like having some shorter fiction on hand, here’s a review copy from Tordotcom, via Netgalley:

Cover of But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

It sounds pretty weird and maybe not my thing, but it’s always worth a try with Tor’s novellas.

Posts from this week

As ever, time for a bit of a recap of this week’s posts. Starting with the reviews:

And the other posts:

What I’m reading

Right now, I’m most actively reading the first volume of Heaven Official’s Blessing (MXTX) and Invisible Friends: How Microbes Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us (Jake M. Robinson). I’m actually going to head to the bookshop surreptiously to get the next two volumes of Heaven Official’s Blessing while I’m out today, because I can tell I’m going to be annoyed if I run out and I don’t have the next volume ready.

It feels like I’ve done a lot of reading this week, but let’s see… here’s a sneak peek at upcoming reviews:

Cover of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne Cover of The Long History of the Future: Why tomorrow's technology still isn't here by Nicole Kobie Cover of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid Cover of Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney Cover of Love Everlasting vol 2 by Tom King et al

Plus a manga I don’t plan to review (because I never have much to say about any individual volume of Fairy Tail).

So not a bad reading week!

How’s everyone else been doing? Got anything fascinating on your ‘next up’ pile?

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, as usual!

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WWW Wednesday

Posted August 14, 2024 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

WWW Wednesday questions:

  • What have you recently finished reading?
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What are you planning on reading next?

Here goes!

Cover of The Long History of the Future: Why tomorrow's technology still isn't here by Nicole KobieWhat have you recently finished reading?

The last thing I finished was The Long History of the Future, by Nicole Kobie. If you’ve ever wondered “but where’s my flying car?!” then this book is kind of the answer, digging into why things like flying cars (and robot butlers) are proving tricky to actually bring onto the market. It was pretty interesting!

Cover of A Study in Drowning by Ava ReidWhat are you currently reading?

As usual, I’m reading too much at once, but I’m most actively focusing on two: a non-fiction book about the Roman Empire, and a dark academia fantasy, A Study in Drowning. The latter contains a lot of Arthurian references (a character is called Corbenic, and of course there’s a character called Emrys Myrddin, and a legend about making foundations stay put by sacrificing a fatherless child), and it’s not really clear what it intends to do with everything it’s calling up — if anything. It seems much more interested in Faerie, which… is a weird combination.

I guess we’ll see!

The non-fiction is Gareth Harney’s Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins, which I’m enjoying greatly. It doesn’t go into too much depth on the individual coins (and really I think it ends up discussing far more than twelve), but it’s written entertainingly.

Cover of Invisible Friends by Jake M. RobinsonWhat are you planning on reading next?

Technically I grabbed Invisible Friends, by Jake M. Robinson, to be next off the pile. But I don’t know for sure, because I might be a tiny bit more in the mood for another fiction read. I guess it depends what I finish first, and what catches my eye in the moment I’m thinking about what to read next.

How about you?

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Top Ten Tuesday: On The Road

Posted August 13, 2024 by Nicky in General / 25 Comments

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday had me stumped for a bit, but it’s always fun to give it a shot, so let’s see what I can do: “Planes, Trains & Automobiles/Books Featuring Travel (books whose plots involve travel or feature modes of transportation on the cover/title)”.

Cover of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison Cover of Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood Cover of The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White Cover of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Cover of Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

  1. The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison. This jumped to mind right away, because it opens with Maia receiving the news that he’s the new emperor — and a swiftly-arranged airship flight to the capital to take up that position, even though an airship crash was precisely the reason for his unexpected ascendance to the throne.
  2. Murder on the Ballarat Train, by Kerry Greenwood. There’s a rich tradition of mysteries involving trains, and Phryne Fisher solves hers so stylishly.
  3. The Wheel Spins, by Ethel Lina White. This leaps to mind for the same reason: it’s set mostly though not entirely on a train, covering the course of one fateful journey in which the protagonist puts herself in danger by refusing to accept someone’s disappearance.
  4. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers. The book follows the crew of the Wayfarer as they travel to a far-off part of space in order to create a wormhole that allows other people to travel faster from point A to point B, so it feels like it fits handily into this prompt!
  5. Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. While we’re being unconventional, how about this one? Phèdre certainly travels, not just in this first book but throughout the series. This book concerns one of her first journeys, through the snow of Skaldia home to Terre d’Ange.
  6. The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older. More mysteries and trains, but in a SF setting!
  7. The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi. Travel to a different dimension counts, right? Right?! And it’s such a fun book too.
  8. Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells. Murderbot is travelling! It doesn’t like it, but it sure is travelling. (Can you imagine a travelogue by Murderbot? Yikes.)
  9. The Masked City, by Genevieve Cogman. This one features a train — a Fae train, travelling between worlds! I can’t believe it wasn’t one of the first I thought of, because this is in some ways a favourite of mine in the series.
  10. Chalice, by Robin McKinley. I know, another unconventional choice, but hear me out: Mirasol ends up binding her demesne together by travelling around the whole area, doing her magic. And there’s the also the Master’s somewhat more metaphorical journey back from Fire, since he originally left the demesne to become a priest of fire. See? Travel.

Cover of The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older Cover of The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi Cover of Artificial Condition by Martha Wells Cover of The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman Cover of Chalice by Robin McKinley

This feels like… a very typical list from me, heh. Somehow it comes down to the same books in many of my posts, somehow. I guess it’s because I feel like I’m supposed to be choosing the ten representatives of whatever the theme is that I like the best, or at least like a lot.

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Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post

Posted August 10, 2024 by Nicky in General / 20 Comments

Well, it’s been a really good week reading-wise, even if I’ve generally not felt so great. And the cooler weather has been nice! Without further ado, let’s get talking about the important stuff.

Books acquired this week

Here’s the second part of my epic haul from my weekend jaunt with a friend from FFXIV! First up, some more of the non-fiction:

Cover of The Sarpedon Krater by Nigel Spivey Cover of Pyramids by Joyce Tyldesley Cover of Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney

Cover of Twelve Caesars by Mary Beard Cover of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black

And here’s a couple of the fiction books I got (though this haul really was heavy on non-fic):

Cover of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Cover of Trent's Last Case by E.C. Bentley Cover of Elusive by Genevieve Cogman

Yep, I know: “what an eclectic mix!” 😀

Next week will mark the last bunch from this haul… just in time for a probable birthday-haul the week after, haha.

Posts from this week

Here’s a quick roundup of the reviews I posted this week:

And other posts:

What I’m reading

Right now, I’m partway through Rebecca Thorpe’s Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, for the promise of a cosy fantasy. I may follow up with The Spellshop (Sarah Beth Durst), because cosy sounds good for the moment.

And here are the books which I finished this week that I’ll be posting reviews of soon (or already have):

Cover of Standard Deviations: Flawed Assumptions, Tortured Data, and Other Ways to Lie With Statistics by Gary Smith Cover of Trent's Last Case by E.C. Bentley Cover of A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles Cover of Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! by Nmura

Cover of The Sarpedon Krater by Nigel Spivey Cover of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltCover of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black

Yep, I know: what a weird/eclectic mix!

Hope everyone’s having a good and bookish week.

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, as usual!

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WWW Wednesday

Posted August 7, 2024 by Nicky in General / 0 Comments

WWW Wednesday normally asks:

  • What have you recently finished reading?
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What are you planning on reading next?

So, without further ado…

Cover of The Sarpedon Krater by Nigel SpiveyWhat have you recently finished reading?

The last thing I finished was The Sarpedon Krater, by Nigel Spivey, which is about a particular Greek ceramic (a krater is a sort of bowl used for mixing wine and water), and what it’s meant to different people over the years. It digs into the artist, where the krater was actually found (in an Etruscan tomb), some of the controversies around it, and also how the scene on it might have inspired other artwork. Art history generally isn’t my thing, but I’m always willing to be curious about things, and this was an interesting detour for me.

Cover of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltWhat are you currently reading?

As ever, I have a few books on the go at once. I’ve just started Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, which isn’t as SF/F as you’d expect given one of the protagonists is an octopus. I’d file it more under literary fiction, really, and I’m feeling a little meh about at least one of the plot arcs (though it just became apparent how it links up, at least). I’ll finish it, at least, not sure yet how much I like it.

Cover of Bitter Waters by Vivian ShawWhat are you planning on reading next?

Probably Vivian Shaw’s Bitter Waters — I love the Greta Helsing trilogy, and am honestly feeling like maybe I want to reread it. Reading this new novella might be a good way to scratch that itch and decide if I really do want to reread.

How about you?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favourites From Ten Series

Posted August 6, 2024 by Nicky in General / 12 Comments

Naturally, as soon as I saw this week’s TTT prompt, my brain went blank: “Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series”. But after some digging around on my shelves in the blog, I do have some answers! I’ve probably left out something perfect and amazing, but here goes. I’ve linked to my review in each case, assuming I have one posted on the blog!

Cover of Death of an Author by E.C.R. Lorac Cover of Mirror Lake by Juneau Black Cover of The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System vol 3 by MXTX Cover of Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian Cover of A Fashionable Indulgence by KJ Charles

  1. Death of an Author, by E.C.R. Lorac. Of the British Library Crime Classics series, this is one of my favourites. This is perhaps not the conventional sense of “series”, and perhaps I should’ve picked my favourite Lorac of her series about Inspector Macdonald… but, well, I didn’t.
  2. Mirror Lake, by Juneau Black. It’s hard to pick a favourite of this series, because it’s less about any individual book (at least so far) and more just enjoying the setup. Still, Mirror Lake is very clever.
  3. The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, vol 3, by MXTX. Okay, maybe it’s cheating to count this as a series, but we’re not being marked on accuracy here. I like book three the most because Shen Qingqiu starts to realise some things — and starts to finally understand Luo Binghe and treat him a little more fairly. And of course, they get their happy ending.
  4. Two Rogues Make A Right, by Cat Sebastian. I didn’t choose this just because a major character has TB, but that kinda factors into why I find this so memorable. But I also enjoy how Sebastian’s series usually take a character who seemed an unlikely love interest in a previous book, and get into why they acted that way, and make them worthy love interests after all, and — if I remember rightly, anyway — this was the first book where I noticed that pattern.
  5. A Fashionable Indulgence, by KJ Charles. I wouldn’t always expect a first book in a series to be a favourite, but I think there were things I found frustrating or just not to my taste in the latter two books — while appreciating the arc and story over the whole trilogy, and liking the second and third books quite a bit, to be clear! And I do enjoy the characters (and their relationship) a lot in this first installment.
  6. Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis. I’m not absolutely positive I shouldn’t pick Voyage of the Dawn Treader here, but on the other hand, this has all four of the Pevensies, and as a kid I ate up the introductory chapters with the secret midnight meetings in the tower…
  7. Tropic of Serpents, by Marie Brennan. This book is where that series fell into place for me, and it’s a perfect illustration of how Isabella is as a person (and a scientist). I just had a lot of fun with it, and always do.
  8. Feed, by Mira Grant. Honestly, this book has lived rent-free in my head for so long. I’m not as big a fan of the rest of the series — not that I dislike it, just, this is the book that I like the best.
  9. Glamour in Glass, by Mary Robinette Kowal. This is another series where it was the second book that made things really click for me. It was very unlike the first book, and went some bold places.
  10. Have His Carcase, by Dorothy L. Sayers. Perhaps a controversial choice, compared to Strong Poison or Gaudy Night, and there’s a strong argument to be made for The Nine Tailors, in my book. But ultimately I love Peter and Harriet’s early friendship and the wittiness this particular book is written with.

Cover of Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis Cover of Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan Cover of Feed by Mira Grant Cover of Glamour in Glass, by Mary Robinette Kowal Cover of Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers

Those are my choices, and I’m sticking to them!

What about everyone else? Would you/did you find this one difficult to answer?

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Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post

Posted August 3, 2024 by Nicky in General / 22 Comments

Wow, it’s been a warm week! I’m not really built for warm weather… nor for cold weather… I think I’m just not really built for weather. But the sunshine has been nice on my walks, I must admit!

The latest Bookly readathon has started, so I have been doing a little more reading than I was, and I hope the week ahead will be pretty busy, reading-wise. Especially given the haul I got last weekend.

Books acquired this week

I’m going to split my haul over the next 2-3 weeks, since I got a lot of books in one go. (Next haul… probably due the week after that, since August 20th is my birthday, ahaha.) First up, a little non-fiction:

Cover of Standard Deviations: Flawed Assumptions, Tortured Data, and Other Ways to Lie With Statistics by Gary Smith Cover of They Were Here Before Us by  Eyal Halfon and Ran Barkai

Cover of Invisible Friends by Jake M. Robinson Cover of Plagues Upon The Earth by Kyle Harper  Cover of Infectious by Dr John S. Tregoning

And here’s a couple of the fiction books I got as well:

Cover of Love Everlasting by Matt Hollingsworth, Tom King, Elsa Charretier Cover of The Duke at Hazard by KJ Charles

It’s a rather random mix, I know, just like the full haul. I do love having such a range around to read!

Posts from this week

Here goes the usual roundup:

Other posts:

What I’m reading

Right now I’m trying to finish up one of my new books, Standard Deviations, which is all about how data/statistics can be twisted to support totally made-up or opposite conclusions. It’s pretty well-explained, though I do have the advantage that I have (of necessity, as a science student) done two courses on stats.

It’s been a fun week, with some comics I plan to review and some manga which I won’t, alongside my chunkier non-fiction reads. Here are the books I read this week which I will post reviews of soon:

Cover of Love Everlasting by Matt Hollingsworth, Tom King, Elsa Charretier Cover of Tour de Force by Christianna Brand Cover of Clear by Scott Snyder Cover of Color by Victoria Finlay Cover of They Were Here Before Us by Eyal Halfon and Ran Barkai

Combined with the manga I read, it was definitely a busy reading week!

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, as usual!

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WWW Wednesday

Posted July 31, 2024 by Nicky in General / 0 Comments

It’s been a while since I did one of these, but I’m currently reading stuff I’m excited about and not just rereading (though I’m doing a lot of that too), so it seems like a good moment for an update!

So WWW Wednesday normally asks:

  • What have you recently finished reading?
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What are you planning on reading next?

Cover of Tour de Force by Christianna BrandWhat have you recently finished reading?

The last substantial thing I finished was Christianna Brand’s Tour de Force, of which I wasn’t a big fan — I find Brand quite cynical in her way of writing characters, and compare her unfavorably to E.C.R. Lorac, who by and large I love (even if sometimes she errs in the other direction, I’d rather that).

Cover of A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ CharlesWhat are you currently reading?

Today I’m trying to finish up reading Victoria Finlay’s Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox, which is interesting but also has a feel of travel writing or memoir, neither of which are totally my thing. For each colour, Finlay’s travelled and researched by asking people in person, and set great stock by things like simply seeing the crocus fields from which saffron is made. Sometimes it feels very touristy.

I haven’t finished The Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (KH Charles) yet, and I’d like to get back to that too.

Cover of Standard Deviations: Flawed Assumptions, Tortured Data, and Other Ways to Lie With Statistics by Gary SmithWhat are you planning on reading next?

That’s a difficult one, because I have a bunch of new books begging for my attention. I’m actually quite tempted to turn to something a bit off my usual path, which is Gary Smith’s Standard Deviations. I’ve studied a bit of statistics because you have to in order to study science at all seriously, and I’ve always been rather better at statistics than I expected (I think I got good marks in my undergrad statistics course, and I definitely did in postgrad). Anyway, the point of this book is about discussing the ways statistics can be used to mislead, and I think that’s something everyone could do with being aware of — and I should be able to follow along fairly well, or so I hope!

What about you?

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