Stitches and Witches / Nancy Warren

 

2.7 out of 5 stars 

Free Range Reading

I borrowed the audiobook version of this title on impulse, having read this first book recently. This one was neither better nor worse than that first volume—it kept me engaged in the investigation and I wanted to know the outcome. I am somewhat surprised, though, at how little progress Lucy has made in her private life. There's an obvious set-up for a love triangle between her, Rafe the vampire, and Ian the detective. Rafe has shown a teeny bit more initiative, but Ian would seem to be Lucy's preference. I don't think I will ever know, however, as I don't believe that I'll be proceeding any further.

As cozy series go, this one isn't bad, but it's not exciting my desire to continue. The vampires seem awfully tame (I mean, knitting!) and I prefer the menacing variety. Ian seems decent, but the man has had two books now in which to make an impression and hasn't really bothered. At this glacial pace, it will take more books than I have patience for to get a romance underway. Besides, the star-crossed romance of Florence Watt, one of the elder ladies next door, doesn't bode well for other relationships.

Perhaps if I was a knitter I'd be more enthused.

Dead Girls are Easy / Terri Garey

 

2.5 out of 5 stars 

Book 10 of the 2024 Read Your Hoard Challenge

I started this book, got distracted, then picked it up again today when I needed a book that didn’t weigh down my purse. Nothing like a paperback to keep you company in a waiting room. I added this to my TBR way back in 2016 and boy was my life different back then--pre-retirement, pre-Covid… So I'm not really surprised that I didn't like this book nearly as much as I thought I would. I'm not the same person who added this book.

I'd give it about 2.5 stars. It probably would have received higher marks if I'd read it back in 2016. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of good points about it. Nicki, the main character, has had a near death experience which leaves her with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Both of these things would give anyone pause, but Nicki has also become romantically involved with her ER doctor.

Not every phantom is friendly and Nicki is drawn into a neighborhood drama, being haunted by a murdered frenemy. There are stereotypes galore: more voodoo than I was interested in and a really stereotypical gay best friend. The grandmother of the deceased woman gets Nicki more enmeshed in the whole situation, leading to most of the action.

I have the next two novels in the series, so I must have really liked the descriptions of them. I'll give them an honest try, but I'm willing to bail if I don't find them better than this one. My dance card is too full to spend time on less than great books.

Accepting the Lance / Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

 

4.4 out of 5 stars 

Book number 520 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

It was with pleasure and sorrow that I picked up this installment of the Liaden Universe series. I love these books and am seriously grieved by the death of co-author Steve Miller. This volume resolves some long standing plotlines in fine style, but there are enough significant characters that there are always new issues to explore.

This is the tome in which the Department of the Interior gets its hash settled! Their own agents are sent against them, their machinations are side-stepped, and their final violence, although not fully avoided, is mitigated. No doubt there will be details yet to be resolved, but the worst is surely over.

Better, the clan of Korval seems to be stabilizing. Theo Waitley has willingly acknowledged her blood ties and names Surebleak as home. Daav and Aelliana have found new identities and pilot's licenses. Anthora is out of hospital and awaits her life mate's healing. Pat Rin, in his role as Boss Conrad, has received overwhelming endorsement from the citizens of Surebleak. Rhys has returned, badly wounded, from space to meet his new daughter and reunite with his partner, Droi. The clutch turtles have sent an envoy to liase with Surebleakeans and correct a defect within the planet. Even the crazy neighbour has been stabilized by the influence of the young Tree that was gifted to him.

The Elder Tree continues to meddle, heal, and guide the clan. Val Con has been wishing for a more lively clan home and it seems that he may get it. It is a joy to me to realize that I still have several books remaining in this beloved series. The trick now will be resisting the urge to read them too quickly, ending the journey too soon. Wish me luck with that endeavor as my ability to resist their siren song is weak.

Survival of the Richest / Douglas Rushkoff

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

I don't often quote scripture, but I've got to credit whoever wrote the first book of Timothy: the love of money truly is the root of all evil. When you have more money than you can ever use, continuing to make more and more while ruining the world seems more than a little evil to me.

This author is upfront right in the first chapter, letting the reader know that he is a Marxist, who was hired by a bunch of rich guys to help them make decisions about where to locate their doomsday bunkers and how to keep their security forces on their side after The Event (whatever that should turn out to be). Trying to improve the world around them didn't seem to compute—they were much more focused on leaving the rest of us outside their bunker walls.

The very wealthy seem to believe that money makes them somehow superior to regular people. They tend to be libertarian, wanting to go it alone with no responsibilities to other people or to society. I can understand the mindset to some extent: it is nice to have some independence in one's life. However, as much as they may believe they can separate themselves from the rest of humanity, one person simply cannot do all the things: mining, smelting, manufacturing, spinning, weaving, sewing, lumbering, building, mixing concrete, plumbing, electrifying, farming, etc. To get their bunkers built and supplied, they have already relied on a lot of other people. There is no such thing as complete independence. And, as we learned during Covid, being isolated doesn't benefit our mental health.

Then there are the weirdos who want to upload their consciousness to the cloud. I don't understand how this could be a good thing. I think it would be giving up all of the pleasures in life—eating, sleeping, having sex, even just walking in a forest or on a grassland. Smelling wet earth or your favourite food. Plus we would leave our brain structures behind and I doubt that we could feel emotions without those. I have zero desire to be stuck in some data bank somewhere unable to feel happiness, contentment, excitement or anticipation. I volunteer to stay behind to service the machines. When we get all the weirdos uploaded, let's just turn them off, shall we?

The biggest problem with the billionaires? They seem to believe that having billions makes them qualified to lead and that all solutions require technology. I hate to break it to the tech bros, but we already have what we need to make the world a better place. Try kindness and respect for others. Tone down our consumerist impulses and live simpler lives. I'm not anti-technology or I wouldn't be on Goodreads and other such websites, but I do try to limit my time on them.

The biggest problem that I see is a bunch of white men thinking that their interpretation of the world is the only one or the best one. Best for them maybe, but for those of us who want communities and meaningful lives, very unattractive. Unfortunately for them, the saying “Wherever you go, there you are” applies. No matter where they go, they take their essential human selves along. Humans are social primates so likely they won't go alone. There is no escaping humanity--it's built in. Resistance is futile.

Deceiver / C.J. Cherryh

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Book number 519 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Eleven books in, and I am still enjoying this series very much. I do realize that there is always a dangerous chase combined with gunfire, but each time it fits with the other events of the book. Cherry writes very good pursuit scenes.

Bren has come into his own—a Lord in his own right, with a reputation as a dispassionate negotiator. He is reunited with Lord Geigi, who has returned from the space station to restore order in his district. The two men find themselves very much in accord with each other and the aiji-dowager. Will these three and their respective staff members be able to deal with the Marid clan? If they can do it without involving Tabini, he can deny knowledge of it and still reap the benefits.

As in the last couple of books, the heir-apparent, Cajeiri, gets his own POV chapters. He may only be almost nine years old, but he is mature beyond that. Sometimes he resents the necessity but he steps up when he can. He has trials imposed on him, namely two Assassin's Guild members selected by his father. They seem to have an attitude problem which he tries valiantly to remedy with limited results. For once, he is only tangentially involved in the biggest kerfuffle this time out. He is too smart for his own good, letting his occasional boredom lead him astray!

Cherryh leaves matters on a hopeful cliffhanger and I will definitely be reading the next volume before too much time has passed.

Lavender House / Lev AC Rosen

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Mystery Book Club 2024

True confession: I would never have picked up this book if it hadn't been chosen as a selection for my RL book club. It's never going to be a favourite, I don't expect to ever re-read it, and I doubt that I will read further in the Evander Mills series. Still, I am not unhappy to have read it.

This novel gave me an intimation of what it is like to belong to a persecuted minority. The constant need to be on guard, trying to hide your essential self, is exhausting and it's so easy to mess up. Evander (Andy) Mills came back from the war and opted to become a cop. He spends his spare time drinking and cruising the clubs for sexual encounters in the bathrooms. Until he gets caught in a police raid. Suddenly, he is unemployed, homeless and seriously considering suicide. He has internalized his society's hatred for gay men.

He is both intrigued and uneasy when he is approached by an obviously well-to-do woman to investigate a murder—of her wife. Andy gets to see what life can be like in a found family where everyone can be honest within their community about who they are and who they love.

My curiosity was engaged around the issue of how Andy was going to investigate the matter without his official status and connections. That's what kept me reading. So, intellectually kind of interesting, but I wasn't emotionally engaged. The book ended up feeling more like a vitamin pill rather than a delicious treat.

The Stainless Steel Rat Returns / Harry Harrison

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Book number 518 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Well this is goodbye to the Stainless Steel Rat. Despite the hopeful “until next time” on the final page, this was the last Rat book. It was published in 2010 and Harrison died in 2012. Slippery Jim was obviously a favourite character of Harrison's—he returned to Mr DiGriz eleven times!

Jim DiGriz is enjoying his illgotten gains on the pleasure planet Moolaplenty, when his agrarian relatives and their livestock arrive on his doorstep. Jim had devoutly hoped that he would never see another porcuswine (except as a menu item), but as he deals with this crisis he finds he must purchase the spaceship that his cousins and their critters arrived on and evacuate them to more suitable environs. He inherits the grumpy ship's engineer and accepts a pilot provided by his son James.

This unlikely conglomeration of people and porcuswine bumps from one problem to the next. Jim finds that he can still think and fake his way across the universe successfully, although his beloved Angelina must give him pep talks and nudge him along from time to time. With her support (and unspoken threats) they deal with whichever predicament confronts them.

You can see Harrison's sharp and humorous attitude toward the world. His style is perfect for making fun of governments, the military, and violence of all kinds. I found this novel a bit less focused than I could have wanted, as their sabotaged spaceship bloats along from planet to planet in search of intergalactic communications.

It is with fondness that I say, “So long, Slippery Jim DiGriz!”

Only Hard Problems / Jennifer Estep

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Free Range Reading

Once again, my attention has been hijacked by the unexpected arrival of an e-book on my library account. I've been enjoying Estep's self-published stuff quite a bit. Yes, she has a formula, but it's a recipe that I like. This little novella gives us a peek into the world of Zane Zimmer, Regal bad boy and frequent opponent of Kyrion Calderan, love interest of Vesper Quill. Despite (or maybe because) they are both Arrows, Zane and Kyrion have despised each other for a long time.

Vesper has her own reasons to look askance at Zane, despite her desire to put some trust in him. But she realizes that if what he says is true, he is in a difficult spot—wanting to protect her but being ordered to capture Vesper and Kyrion to return them to the Imperium. Lack of success could mean his execution.

Estep does a good job of humanizing her part-time villain. Zane has some redeeming qualities: he truly loves his family, even when they disappoint him, and he is highly motivated to keep them safe in an uncertain world. He's developed a persona as an arrogant arse specifically to keep the other Arrows and the public at arm's length. No one quite knows how smart and sensitive he is under the disguise, just as he wants it. Being underestimated is his advantage, at least until he meets Asterin Armas, heiress to a mineral fortune. Everyone seems to be pushing them to get engaged and they both react poorly to being pressured. But as they are thrown together more often, Zane is softening on this issue. Maybe Asterin is too.

My next decision is whether to petition my library to purchase the next book? They've developed a pattern of rejecting my recommendations, so I'm scared of jinxing things. There seems to be a waiting list for this one, so perhaps I can count on other fans to make the request. Fingers crossed!

Fair Trade / Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Book number 517 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

It is always a pleasure to spend time with Jethri Gobelyn van'Deelin, especially when he is dealing with twisty and ticklish situations. He can see that the Dust clouds moving in certain parts of space are wreaking havoc with ship navigation and that delivery of necessary goods to planets within the Dust is tricky and getting trickier. However, the big trade associations don't seem to understand the urgency of the situation. Jethri, young as he is, seems to be the Ambassador for his father's plan to cope with Dust, at the South Axis Trade Fair.

If that was not enough, someone in the Liaden ranks is playing dirty tricks to prevent him from gaining Master Trader status. He is lead trader on his ship, but is saddled with a pilot who is set in his ways and not inclined to be flexible. And how does one pursue a promising relationship when one's time is scheduled down to the bathroom breaks?

Meanwhile, there are complications aboard the Dulcimer, the ship that lent Jethri assistance when he was challenged to a duel in a previous installment. A neurodivergent young woman is coming into her own, possibly with the assistance of a posse of norbears, those fuzzy telepathic beings who cause consternation among some in the galaxy. The new captain is trying to extricate himself from the less-than-legal patterns of the previous management and facing opposition from one crew member who is determined to make trouble (and who intensely dislikes norbears and the young woman).

These two story lines intersect at the trade conference, along with a stash of forbidden Old Tech, drawing the Uncle into the mix. As I understand it, this subseries is set in between the Great Migration (of books 1 & 2) and the much later adventures of Clan Korval. There are enough loose ends that I am certain that the authors planned more Jethri in future.

Sadly, however, I learned that co-author Steve Miller died in February of this year. It's anyone's guess whether Sharon Lee will continue to write, with her husband and co-conspirator gone. I wouldn't blame her if she declared herself unwilling to go on. I love the universe that this pair created and I will undoubtedly continue to reread the published material long into the future. I will treasure the books that I have not yet read (rapidly decreasing) and have my fingers crossed that maybe one was left in the hopper before Miller's passing. Good lift, Mr Miller, and safe landing.

Bride / Ali Hazelwood

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Free Range Reading

I got a message from my library this afternoon: this e-book is ready for you, please do something about that. After a bit of debate, I signed it out and foolishly thought, “I'll just read a few pages to see if I'll like it.” And, yes, I read the whole thing in one sitting.

All the details were just perfect for me. Vampyres, Were shifters, complex political manoeuvring, including an arranged marriage to cement an alliance between the Vampyres and the Weres. The narrator of this tale and the less-than-willing bride is Misery, the daughter of the Vampyre leader. Just like Medieval times, there will be the exchange of hostages and this arranged marriage. Misery is used to this—she has previously been the hostage to the Humans, where she grew up with a human girl, Serena. Serena, now a journalist, has gone missing and left a note which references the name of the Were leader. This is what cinches Misery's decision—she must know what happened to her only friend and agreeing to the wedding will aid her search.

But of course you know going in that this is going to be a romance. It is in fact perfectly suited to my taste. There are overarching questions about Serena, politics, and other characters that we get to know. More than just the romance in other words. Misery has a snarky sense of humour that I loved. She and her husband Lowe see their relationship shift as they get to know each other, but they each have wrong ideas that they can't seem to get around. Lowe provides the heading to each chapter, giving us a glimpse into his point of view and allowing us to see their misguided ideas. Yum!

So, I enjoyed it a great deal and I'm glad I abandoned my responsibilities to read it. If you like the fake marriage kind of romance plot, I would recommend it.

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known / Seanan McGuire

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Free Range Reading

Slightly less satisfying for me than the previous books in this series. I do love portal fantasy and McGuire is very up front, letting her characters know that there are portals (known as Doors) and the basics of the workings of these openings in reality. I love the idea that children can escape difficult home circumstances and find an alternate reality where they are appreciated and valued. But sometimes things still don't work out and these fugitives end up back on Earth, learning to fit back into their old lives at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children. Eleanor had her own experiences and provides understanding and safety.

This volume was basically more of the same stuff that McGuire has been dishing up for nine books now. So why was I less impressed? Well, for one, look at that cover, at that lovely sauropod framed by one of those notorious Doors. I felt like I had been promised a heaping helping of dinosaurs and I got only one chapter. And may I add that there was not one sauropod on offer.

Also, McGuire has not hidden her messages about the abuse of children, whether by neglect or active. However, this book felt particularly preachy to me. There was quite a lot of fulminating on the theme that you are not justified in perpetrating abuse because you experienced it. Which I completely agree with. I just felt like I was beaten over the head with this super-obvious moral to the story.

Will I continue reading this series? Very probably. I'm still very much a Seanan McGuire fan girl. She is an amazingly prolific and entertaining writer.

Legends and Lattes / Travis Baldree

 

4.5 out of 5 stars 

Free Range Reading 

For some time now I have been weary of all the warfare that pervades fantasy novels. You know, the complex battle scenes, the tense strategy sessions, the field hospitals, the disposal of the dead, all that jazz. This book is the antidote to that weariness. 

I've never before read a book with an orc as a pleasant main character. Tolkien's and Salvatore's orcs are obvious villains and Salvatore's female orcs are off-putting. Baldree manages to give us Viv, a female orc who is highly aware of her appearance and reputation, but who desperately desires a change. She deliberately tries not to loom or menace, not to flash her fangs too often.

It was refreshing to see Viv fighting an economic rather than a military campaign. To see her hang up her sword as a reminder of who she used to be. To watch her gather her circle of friends and pursue her peaceful dreams with as much gusto as her previous lifestyle. Her previous partners were just that—work partners. Viv is ready now for more friendly relationships and when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Enter Tandri, the able assistant, Cal, the master builder, and Thimble, the gourmet baker. Each in their own way teaches Viv about friendships, loyalty, and love.

I don't think you need to be a coffee drinker to appreciate her coffee shop, but it certainly doesn't hurt. I enjoyed several cups of hot, milky coffee while simultaneously reading about it. Be sure to have a cinnamony treat ready to hand as well. 

The Hunter / Tana French

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Free Range Reading

Tana French is one of my favoured authors. Whenever she publishes something new, I put a hold on at the library as soon as they order it. Once again, I was well entertained.

Cal Hooper, retired Chicago cop, has settled into this small Irish community more or less. He still keeps a wary eye on some of his neighbours, who may be clandestine and Machivellian about their grudges and revenge. Despite these reservations, he has become a mentor to young and rather feral Trey Reddy. She is handy at woodwork which the two of them pursue as a team. And he has acquired a woman friend, Lena, who likes him fine, but vows she'll never marry again.

All's well until Trey's deadbeat dad shows back up in town after being gone for years, spinning a tale about a foolish Englishman and gold in them thar hills. There's plots a plenty, between Johnny Reddy, his Englishman Rushborough, Cal, Trey, and the community's menfolk. Who's conning who? Who is going to shoulder the blame? Will Cal and Trey have a relationship left when the dust settles? Is Trey more like her conman daddy than we gave her credit for?

Johnny Reddy is a charming con man and the whole community knows it, but they're willing to play along at least for a little while. But, as we learned in the first book, they can turn really nasty when they feel like they've been wronged. Cal has tried, with limited success, to remain neutral in his dealings with them. He spends a lot of this book uncomfortably trying to thread the needle of being part of the community but not complicit in a crime.

Trying to stay straight around twisty people, trying to stay neutral in a bad situation, trying to figure out a stroppy teenager—Cal has his work set up for him. French doesn't go easy on him. I find myself hoping that she will find another twisty problem for him solve in another book.

The Vampire Knitting Club / Nancy Warren

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Book 9 of the 2024 Read Your Hoard Challenge

I forget how I originally became attracted to this book, but I purchased it in 2020, so it has been languishing on my shelves for 4 years. Although I'm not sorry that I read it (and spent money on it), I don't believe that I'll be reading further in the series.

This is a not-very-mysterious cozy with a bit of witchcraft and some vampires thrown in. Lucy Swift returns to her grandmother's wool shop, only to find that her gran is dead and Lucy has inherited said shop. And that the shop has been a meeting place for a vampire knitting circle. Now, Lucy can't knit to save her soul, but she decides to re-open the store while she figures out what happened. Of course Gran has joined the ranks of the undead, just to complicate matters. To cap things off, Lucy seems to be exhibiting some witchy powers, including a black kitten familiar.

Some conflict is needed, so we are given a missing grimoire, shifty employees, several break-ins, a persistent estate agent, and two handsome men: Rafe, a vampire, and Ian, a detective (very much alive). To this point, these two guys have just been attentive to Lucy, but there's potential for a full fledged love triangle in future books. Okay, tell a lie, the second book is available as an audiobook through Libby and I could probably withstand one more installment….

Just a note on the publishing—a Google search revealed that they deal with just three authors. It seems to be a case of authors banding together to bring their books to market. Kind of a step above basic self-publishing. I have to say that the cover art is lovely and very appealing.

Neogenesis / Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

 

4 out of 5 stars 

The Liaden Universe: the Artificial Intelligence edition

If Clan Korval isn't careful, they will end up completely responsible for the whole universe! But this volume deals primarily with the AIs involved with the clan. The first chapters kindly remind us of many of the organic members of the family. These books have many characters who are all quite active, so the memory nudge was welcome.

The largest concern is the impingement of the Pre-Migration Universe on the currently inhabited universe. How will it be prevented from killing everyone through crystallization? There are several groups acting from different angles on this matter: members of Korval, the Uncle and his sister, and the space station Tinsori Light (an AI creation of the Uncle which is degrading rapidly). And perhaps the Lyre Institute, who strive to capture and control artificial intelligences. And speaking of the Uncle, he must find a way to reunite Daav yos'Phelium and Aelliana Caylon, newly revived, to their clan while dealing with all of these situations.

The Scouts are split after Korval's relocation to Surebleak and those who remained on the Liaden homeworld are in hot pursuit of Theo Waitley and her sentient ship Bechimo, which they seek to prosecute under the Complex Logic Laws. On one of Theo's previous adventures, she helped to create the AI known as Colonel Bunter, whose sanity has required the work of two Mentors, with unexpected complications. The Korval's AI butler, Jeeves, has a “daughter" Tocohl who is a pilot and involved in several of these issues. The complication of two members of the proto-Yxtrang, rescued by Theo, to find a place in the new universe provides an additional wrinkle. Meanwhile, Val Con and Miri are trying to shepherd the planet of Surebleak through an inspection to upgrade their status as a port and trade centre. Each time they think the way is smooth, the clan throws them another curve. As Val Con muses, “First we conquer a planet, then at once we save the universe and overthrow a space station—all unwitting, but who will believe it?”

This is not the volume to plunge into the series if you are unfamiliar with it. There are threads that lead all the way back to the first volumes, and connecting to most of the previous books. There is even a call-back to Jethri Gobbelyn! Newly begun readers would be bamboozled by the flood of details that one is assumed to be knowledgeable about.

Book number 516 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

The Gathering Edge / Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I was fussing around, trying to find something I was excited to read. Of course the books coming due at the library or my book club selection had little to no appeal. I grabbed the next Liaden book from my book cart and it was just the thing.

It is always a pleasure to spend time with Theo Waitley and her ship Bechimo. Bechimo is a sophisticated AI and thus a character in its own right. But this universe is hostile to artificial intelligence and the luck runs roughly around this pair. Theo has an excellent crew, tough, smart, and loyal. Bechimo has returned them to one of its favourite quiet places to regroup. Earlier, a ship registered to one of Theo's ancestors appeared in this location. It appears that this spot is the gathering edge of the universe, gathering items from elsewhere. They have secured the empty ship for transport, as it was devoid of crew, unless you count a tree very like the one which has grown to be a symbol of Clan Korval. Thus they acquire a giddy tree in their hydroponic bay.

Suddenly, another ancient ship in distress arrives from the old universe. The only survivors on board are two proto-Yxtrang and one ship's cat. Shortly, Theo has an extremely varied selection of beings under her care and command. The two refugee Yxtrang must learn to communicate in modern languages and make decisions about their future. They are understandably worried and uncertain of Theo's plans for them. She, however, is determined to treat them as guests, not prisoners, to their amazement.

Since the Department of the Interior seems to still be in pursuit of any member of Korval, Theo must plan next moves carefully. Theo, being the honourable person that she is, is unwilling to leave a friend in a bad place and must teach Bechimo to properly evaluate risk, something the ship is strongly averse to. But Theo is Korval—she is a talented pilot and not going to back down from challenges. Similar to good urban fantasy, Theo is assembling her crew, chosen family. Whether she realizes it or not, this is typical Korval behaviour.

These plot lines are much too numerous and complicated to be resolved in one book. I can hardly wait to read the next one!

Book number 515 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Big Meg / Tim Flannery & Emma Flannery

 

R

3.7 out of 5 stars 

Free Range Reading

I have developed many odd interests over the last 60 years. Paleontology has been a long lasting love. My father used to tell me that I knew the names of “all the dinosaurs" by the time I was three (an exaggeration I'm sure). In the last decade or so, I've also become fascinated with fossil fishes. Attendance at a lecture/slide show by the artist Ray Troll sparked my interest (check out his website for fabulous fin art).

Anyone who has read Peter Benchley's Jaws will understand the lure of the gigantic prehistoric shark Megalodon. Shark fossils are particularly scanty, as their skeletons are mostly cartilaginous rather than bone and cartilage doesn't preserve well in the fossil record. However it is amazing what scientists have been able to piece together from what there is available: range maps, possible birthing localities, diets, possible habits and causes of extinction (although the last two items seem rather more speculative).

The ocean is a mysterious place to most of us and its predators are a source of fascination. There is good reason that there are many shark gods envisioned by the people of Oceania. Our current world has an impoverished ocean, with sharks and other fish, whales, even corals and other small creatures in decline. Nevertheless, there are those who would like to believe that the Megalodon still lurks in the depths. I suppose anything is possible, but it seems to me that there just aren't enough food species left to maintain a sustainable population of this enormous shark. But I think it is natural, in a world where so many species teeter on the edge of extinction, to hope that this awesome predator is still out there.

I've read other books by Tim Flannery which I also found enjoyable. He provides accurate information (although paleontology is a science prone to revision as new specimens are studied) and he writes in a clear, accessible style. I get the impression that he truly loves sharing his knowledge. If you are particularly interested in fossil sharks, I would also recommend Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old Fossil. If fossil fishes in general are your jam, The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution might suit you. If you are intrigued by the connection between fish and land animals, Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body is a great choice.

Find Me / Anne Frasiet

 

4 out of 5 stars 

2024 Re-read

I had forgotten that the main character, Reni Fisher, was so focused on birds, an obsession of mine over the years. I'm unsure why I felt the need to read this again, but it was a very strong urge and that may have been a factor. I am bumping the rating from 3 stars up to 4, reasoning that wanting to reread it and reading it just as quickly the second time indicates that I am really engaged with the work.

Reni is the daughter of serial killer Benjamin Fisher, used by him as a lure for his victims while she was a child. A heavy burden to bear and the major reason that she became an FBI agent. A mental episode where she mistakes her partner for her father leads her to retire from the Bureau and retreat to the desert. She is persuaded to assist Agent Daniel Ellis when her father seems willing to give up locations of his victims. Little does she know that Daniel has his own dark history.

If you are curious about nonfiction concerning the families of these murderers, I suggest looking for A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming. Go into it aware, however, that it is truly about the daughter. (She makes it plain that far too many people are way too interested in her father and have completely ignored her.) Also interesting is The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy, a memoir by a woman who was involved with that notorious man. These people are collateral damage in the killers' lives.

Cryoburn / Lois McMaster Bujold

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Another wild whirl with Miles Vorkosigan at its centre. He does surf the chaos with remarkable skill. As a reader, one sympathizes with Armsman Roic, who must try to protect the Lord Auditor. Miles has been sent to figure out what, if anything, is untoward about the cryogenic preservation business on Kibou-daini as it looks to expand to Barrayaran territory. A bit of an exploration of whether it is worthwhile or even moral to try to cheat death through this method, being frozen until there is a cure for whatever ailed you. And there is indeed something rotten in the state of Denmark (or Kibou-daini, as the case may be).

Miles, who seems to collect strays wherever he goes, soon acquires a young man whose mother seems likely to have the dirt that the investigation needs. Unfortunately the cryocorp goons seem to have reached her first and she is in cryogenic storage, quite literally on ice. In his usual inimitable fashion, Miles devises a plan to extract and revive her.

Rogue cryogenic facilities, a menagerie of animals, two children, a stunned planetary consul, an arson attempt, kidnapping, plus a business deal involving Lord Mark, this book has all that. It's the usual Vorkosigan experience. The epilogue, however, broke my heart. 💔

Book number 514 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project