I said I’d get back to my normal format this week, but there’s not much to round up in the way of blog content. However, there’s plenty by way of books — yikes!
Received to review:
What a haul, right? Bless Netgalley.
New books purchased:
My eclectic tastes are well on show in this post, huh?
I’ll skip the books read this week as there’s basically just one.
Well, folks, it’s been quite the week. I haven’t been very well (mentally), and while I’m getting better with the help of some anxiety medication (sigh, I was so proud to have weaned myself off it), it’s been rough. So here’s the haul of books I got on our last hurrah day out before moving to social distancing mode and ending non-essential trips, a couple weeks ago.
Next week I’ll share the ARCs I’ve been getting, and whatever’s come through the mail, and try to get back to my normal format.
Books acquired:
Some non-fiction, some romance, a little sci-fi, a little fantasy and mystery… a typically mixed haul for me.
–#ReaderProblems. An entertaining tag that I spotted elsewhere. Learn how I pick my next read, how I feel about not loving books everyone else does, etc.
–WWW Wednesday. Featuring a little preview of my thoughts on Hearts of Oak — my review won’t be up for a couple more days.
Welllll, that was an anxiety-inducing game and a very disappointing outcome. If any of you visiting here are French and follow rugby… let’s not talk about it.
Anyway, it’s been a quiet week around here, but I got some new books!
–WWW Wednesday. This week I talked about E.C.R. Lorac’s Fell Murder, Angela Gallop’s When the Dogs Don’t Bark, Brother Cadfael, and Susannah Cahalan’s new book.
G’day, folks! This has been a much quieter reading week, but that’s also fine. I’ve been busy with work and with playing video games, and that’s fine. I’m still working on not criticising myself when I feel less like reading — it’s not like yelling at myself makes me read more, it just makes me unhappy.
Books acquired:
Books read this week:
Reviews posted this week:
–Sword of Destiny, by Andrzej Sapkowski. I didn’t think this was as good as The Last Wish; it’s more a collection of stories in the world, though it does sort of move towards setting up the novels. 3/5 stars –Gilded Cage, by K.J. Charles. I wasn’t convinced I was going to enjoy this because I didn’t love Templeton Lane, but I trust Charles and she didn’t steer me wrong. 4/5 stars –That Could Be Enough, by Alyssa Cole. I didn’t really believe in the relationship here. It was okay because it’s so short, but more and I might’ve given up. 3/5 stars
Other posts:
–WWW Wednesday. The usual weekly check-in, mostly about a book about Byzantium, one of E.C.R. Lorac’s British Library Crime Classics, and K.J. Charles.
Out and about:
–NEAT science: ‘All about that base.‘ A friend asked me to explain why humans have butts. I had a go.
Happy Saturday! I’m less happy this Saturday because of Wales’ loss to Ireland (there go our Triple Crown/Grand Slam hopes!), but I’ll live. At least it’s been a good reading week!
Of course, this week was not wonderful: against my will, I have been stripped of my European citizenship. It is really difficult seeing other bloggers rejoicing about it, and really hard to keep those feelings from affecting my interactions with those bloggers. In case you’re wondering, my wife is currently allowed to stay, but she does not have settled status (and no, us being married doesn’t make the tiniest bit of difference at any stage in this process).
Still, the week has had its upsides: this week was the start of the Six Nations! I hope you’re all cheering for Wales with me… You must’ve been, since we pasted Italy! And my wife bought me a present: a triceratops footstool! Now I never thought about it that much, but my preferred reading posture is actually sitting up, with my feet on something to bring my knees closer to my chest. I can credit Matilda (after Robot Wars’ house robot) with some very comfy reading sessions this week.
Isn’t she great?
Books read this week:
Reviews posted this week:
–Bloodlust & Bonnets, by Emily McGovern. It had its moments, but I wasn’t a big fan of the quirkiness-by-way-of-randomness. 2/5 stars –Because Internet, by Gretchen McCulloch. I really enjoyed this, but it might not be for you if you find language change horrifying. McCulloch is just fascinating by the changes, not prescriptivist in outlook. 4/5 stars –The Last Wish, by Andrzej Sapkowski. I read this all in one fell swoop! In retrospect I have more hesitations, but I’m intrigued enough to pick up the next book. 3/5 stars –The Luck of the Vails, by E.F. Benson. Atmospheric and a little surprising in the way it deals with the characters, though ultimately I can’t say it’ll particularly stick in my mind. 3/5 stars –Miss Phryne Fisher Investigates, by Kerry Greenwood. Phryne’s too good to be true, but that’s half the fun, watching her swan around in the most beautiful fashions waving a gun around. It was a lovely reread. 4/5 stars
Other posts:
–WWW Wednesday. In which I mostly discussed The Luck of the Vails and The Last Wish.
Out and about:
–NEAT science: What is R0? A hopefully reassuring explanation of the supposedly terrifying R0 of the novel coronavirus first found in Wuhan, China. This was written at the start of the week, so there have been more scientific papers since that might have changed the landscape, but it’s mostly still relevant.
That’s it for this week. How’s everyone been doing?
I didn’t manage this last week, did I? Whoops. Still, there have been no books entering the Bibliophibian compound — and a lot exiting it; stand by for a post nattering about how I chose what to cull and why I think Marie Kondo has some really good ideas.
Here’s what I’ve been reading since my last roundup:
Reviews posted since the last roundup:
–Flight of Magpies, by K.J. Charles. The end of Stephen and Lucien’s story, and it doesn’t skimp on the drama or the HEA. 4/5 stars –Biased:The New Science of Race and Inequality, by Jennifer Eberhardt. It’s very interesting, though relies a lot on anecdote rather than science. 4/5 stars –Captain Ingram’s Inheritance, by Carola Dunn. I worried about the plot, but it did actually turn out okay, and they are very sweet. 4/5 stars –Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey. It was fun, but I was more interested in other characters than the main ones. 3/5 stars –Jackdaw, by K.J. Charles. I warmed to the characters in the end, but it took me a while to really like either of them. It’s grimmer than the main series in being more realistic about the morals of the time. 3/5 stars –Come Tumbling Down, by Seanan McGuire. As a quick read, I enjoyed it, but the more I think about the portrayal of OCD and the particular outlook on OCD of the characters, the less happy I am. (Yes, I know Seanan McGuire is #ownvoices when it comes to OCD; so am I.) 2/5 stars
Other posts:
–The Finished Books Tag. What do I do when I’ve finished a book? Well…
–WWW Wednesday. This week I talked about Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch, and Seanan McGuire’s Come Tumbling Down.
That’s it for now! Maybe next week I’ll get this post out on time. I can dream, eh?
So what’ve you been stacking and unstacking? Any new favourites this past week or so? Let me know in the comments!
Well, okay, I’m late, but I don’t want to end up rounding up two weeks again next Saturday, so let’s chalk it up to experience and do this one late.
Books acquired:
Yep, that’s my wife finishing up spoiling me by buying me the Society of Gentlemen books. Plus a new Tor novella, after imyril tempted me on Litsy.
Books read this week:
Reviews posted:
–Sorting the Beef from the Bull, by Nicola Temple and Richard Evershed. A bit frightening, and pretty darn interesting. It goes into the science of food fraud — and how to detect food fraud when it happens. Think Horsegate, but also fake eggs, adulterated spices and other weirdness. 4/5 stars –A Hidden Hope, by Laura Ambrose. I didn’t love this, though I recognised a lot of myself in the girls’ actions and relationship. I just didn’t feel there was enough of them outside the relationship to really root for. 2/5 stars –Watchtower, by Elizabeth A. Lynn. I confess, I didn’t really get it. The characters all seemed opaque to me, I couldn’t figure out what everyone was thinking. 3/5 stars –Tea & Sympathetic Magic, by Tansy Rayner Roberts. Cute and fun, and a quick read too. 3/5 stars –The Magpie Lord, by K.J. Charles. This was a reread, and yep, I enjoyed it just as much as I did before. The sexual tension went unresolved longer than I remembered! And wow, that horrific scene is still pretty horrific. 4/5 stars –Sisters of the Vast Black, by Lina Rather. If you liked Jesuits In Space (The Sparrow), then try Nuns In Space! Okay, it’s not quite as heavy as The Sparrow and definitely not as philosophical, but it does justice to the idea. It’s also powerfully hopeful. 4/5 stars –Venus & Aphrodite, by Bettany Hughes. Fairly light, but some interesting stuff I didn’t know yet about the development of the Aphrodite myth. 3/5 stars –A Case of Possession, by K.J. Charles. More development for Stephen and Lucien’s relationship, and they’re mostly not too stupid at each other. 4/5 stars
Other posts:
–WWW Wednesday.The usual weekly update on what I’m reading at the time!
Out and about:
–NEAT science: ‘Falling temperatures.‘ It’s not the weather report! It’s all about the observation that the average body temperature of humans seems to be falling by the decade, and why that might be.
