Well folks, it’s the weekend again! How’s everyone doing? I’ve had a few more review copies (are publicists going mad with power, just giving everyone books to make them stay home?!) and I’ve done a bit of reading, but not much. Still, feels like I’m getting back to normal a bit.

Linked up with The Sunday Post @ The Caffeinated Reviewer & Stacking the Shelves @ Reading Reality and Tynga’s Reviews.

Books received to review:

Like I said, publicists going mad with power…

Books acquired:

I got some book vouchers to help cheer me up, which both did the trick and flooded my shelves! This is just a selection — I might share the others next week!

Books finished this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–Provenance, by Ann Leckie. Review from my reread last year. Unsurprisingly, I still loved it. 5/5 stars
–The Masked City, by Genevieve Cogman. Another reread review from last year. Probably my favourite of the series so far. 4/5 stars
–Walking to Aldebaran, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Sort of not my thing, but very satisfying in other ways all the same. 4/5 stars
–Castle Skull, by John Dickson Carr. I… should stop trying to read John Dickson Carr. 1/5 stars
–The Nine Lands, by Marie Brennan. Belated review. It’s a group of well-structured short stories that really work for me, but I maybe had some qualms about some of the borrowings from real history. 4/5 stars

Other posts: 

–WWW Wednesday. In which I circled back to reading The Rules of Contagion, which was a bit too on the nose for me a couple weeks ago.

So that’s it. How’re you guys doing?

Greetings, folks. It’s been a week. I don’t know what kind of week it’s been, to be honest. A weird one, but they all are right now. Let’s talk books instead.

Received to review:

I usually like Moreno-Garcia’s work, some with more enthusiasm than others. Looking forward to giving this a try.

New books:

From a friend. <3 Many thanks.

There should be more books here, but I basically just have tabs and tabs open trying to decide what books to buy with the book vouchers I was given. I had no idea Carola Dunn had written so many romances, for example, and I have no idea where to start.

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–What’s Your Pronoun? by Dennis Baron. Interesting, but not quite what I hoped for. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday. Discussing What’s Your Pronoun? and Drowned Country, this week.

Out and about:

–Beeminder Blog: “Self-Isolation Strategies: Nikki’s Operation Safety Bubble.” This one’s all me, talking about how I’m using Beeminder to keep me healthy and sane during this difficult time. Some of it is generalisable to planning your life goals in general.
–Habitica Blog: “Behind the Scenes: Coping in a Crisis.” Habitica’s mods and staff worked together to create a post about how they’re coping with the current situation. And yes, I added a bit. Spot the Good Omens cameo in the photo of my bookshelves…
–NEAT science: “How do you define a species?“ In which I discuss the species definition, and when certain definitions might be useful.

How’re you all doing?

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.

Reviews posted this week:

–It Takes Two To Tumble, by Cat Sebastian. Cuuuute. 4/5 stars
–A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, by Cat Sebastian. This is less all-out cute than the first book, though it is also sweet. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday. This week discussing Mark Kurlansky, Mira Grant and Cat Sebastian.
–The Book Tempter’s TBR Challenge. Getting our TBRs down while in isolation? Well, maybe.

How’s everyone else doing? Reading anything good?

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.

How’s everyone else doing?

Evening, folks! I am late on this and just getting this out there so I don’t need to do a double-bill next week! It’s been a busy one.

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–Unthinkable, by Helen Thomson. Not too surprising if you’re interested in neurology and have read other books like it, but still enjoyable. 3/5 stars
–The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh, by K.J. Charles. Short and sweet. Not a lot of substance, but an enjoyable short story. 4/5 stars
–The Honjin Murders, by Seishi Yokomizo. Strongly influenced by John Dickson Carr, this is a solid locked room murder mystery, but not my thing. 2/5 stars
–A Fashionable Indulgence, by K.J. Charles. I loved Harry and Julius, and read this (almost) all in one go. 5/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday on Thursday. This week I chattered about John Dickson Carr, K.J. Charles and Sylvia Izzo Hunter!

How’s everyone doing? Any exciting acquisitions?

Good morning, folks! It’s been a busy week, and I have a lot of new books to show off!

Acquired this week:

First up, I have a bunch of eARCs thanks to Tor, so it’s only fair to showcase them first:

And then I have a bunch of new books after heading to Sheffield to meet friends from afar. The bookshop was naturally the obvious place to take them!

Books read this week:

Reviews posted this week:

–The Five, by Hallie Rubenhold. I found this much more riveting than I expected. I only had one quibble and that was the emphasis she placed on repeating over and over again that the women weren’t prostitutes, as if that changed how much we should care about them. 4/5 stars
–Fell Murder, by E.C.R. Lorac. Rather slow; I just didn’t get into it the way I did with Lorac’s other books. It had some great elements, but… sort of meh? 3/5 stars
–A Curious Beginning, by Deanna Raybourn. Unbelievable, and yet kind of riveting anyway! 4/5 stars
–The Great Pretender, by Susannah Cahalan. An investigation into a famous study, which may in fact have been partially faked. 5/5 stars
–A Perilous Undertaking, by Deanna Raybourn. Enjoyable as heck, just like the first book. 4/5 stars
–How to Argue with a Racist, by Adam Rutherford. It’s okay and informative, but I’m not sure it’s really enough. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

–#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.

How’re you guys doing? Got any awesome new books?

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!

Books acquired:

Reviewed this week:

–Small Robots, by Thomas Heasman-Hunt. Just delightful. 5/5 stars
–Heartstopper vol. 3, by Alice Oseman. Adorable as ever, though not pure fluff; the boys have a lot to deal with. 5/5 stars
–One Corpse Too Many, by Ellis Peters. Love the historical setting and the way it shapes the mystery; loved a character I did not expect to love. 4/5 stars
–When the Dogs Don’t Bark, by Angela Gallop. Interesting, though a bit unfocused. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

–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.

What’s everyone been reading?

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.

And that’s it! How’s everyone doing?

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!

Books acquired:

Books read:

Reviews posted:

–Flying too High, by Kerry Greenwood. The second book of the series, with the usual acts of derring-do by our all but flawless heroine. 4/5 stars
–Murder on the Ballarat Train, by Kerry Greenwood. The third book! More of the usual fare, with a delightful found-family building itself up. 4/5 stars
–Surfeit of Suspects, by George Bellairs. Typical of the Golden Age crime stories, but I found it satisfying all the same. 4/5 stars
–The Abyss Surrounds Us, by Emily Skrutskie. Interesting relationships and yay, kaiju! But a bit thin in terms of the development; I didn’t always believe how quickly characters got to certain mindsets. 3/5 stars
–West Nile Story, by Dickson Despommier. A nice companion to having listened to This Week in Virology’s episode on West Nile virus. 3/5 stars
–The Edge of the Abyss, by Emily Skrutskie. Wraps up the story well, and keeps the pleasing ambiguities in the relationships/characters. 3/5 stars
–Moontangled, by Stephanie Burgis. The kind of misunderstanding in relationships that happens in this book drives me nuts, but it’s a sweet story all the same. 3/5 stars
–Death at Victoria Dock, by Kerry Greenwood. Again, solid and entertaining, and a quick read. 4/5 stars
–A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters. I forgot quite how this resolved, so it was good to reread it. Still very enjoyable! 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday. Discussing the latest I’m reading, as usual; this week featuring Kerry Greenwood, Stephanie Burgis and Andrzej Sapkowski.

Out and about:

–NEAT science: ‘Spillover: Avenues for Zoonotic Disease.‘ Why is a Chinese food market the perfect spillover point for all kinds of animal diseases? I’ve tried to explain!
–NEAT science: ‘Featured in New Scientist! (Sort of.)‘ I answered another reader’s question in New Scientist and it got printed!

How’re you doing? What’s been stacking your shelves?

Aahh, it’s the weekend again!

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?