Message in a Bottle / Holly Hogan

 

3.75 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book written by a Canadian author
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 11

A clever title, for who hasn't heard of sealing a message into a bottle and hurling it into the ocean? But there is now a Great Pacific Garbage Patch that contains more than a few plastic bottles, sending us the message that we are a messy and wasteful species.

In all honesty, I can't tell how many people still don't know about ocean pollution, ocean warming, fish stock decline, the globalization of litter, and the threat of microplastics. Even knowing what I know, it's impossible to return from the grocery store without a plethora of plastic. I recycle what I can, but each community has its own rules for acceptable materials. Plus, I am given to understand that even many plastics sent for recycling get deflected into landfills. Some countries burn their plastic waste, but even when the burning produces energy for other things, it still releases carbon and toxins into the atmosphere. Some scientists are gallantly cultivating microbes that will eat plastic, but can they keep up with our production? Particularly horrifying was the chapter “The Plastisphere," which collated a lot of current research on the health consequences of plastic ingestion. Since it's in most tap water, we all get a dose. Thank goodness for her “Reframing Plastic" chapter, which provides some hope when I needed it!

As a regular listener to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, very little of the factual information was brand new to me—often there was a little more detail, which was good. What kept me reading was the memoir portion of the book, detailing the author's career in seabird research. That's something a younger me imagined doing, but I can see clearly now that I was not cut out for such an existence!

Daughter of the Empire / Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer***

Reading prompt: Book with a word that refers primarily to a woman in the title
Virtual 12 sided dice role: 11

I have become a fan of man/woman writing teams over the last several years. Having enjoyed fiction by Ilona Andrews (husband and wife Gordon and Ilona) and Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (another married couple), I was tempted to try this fantasy by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts. Not a married couple but a talented duo. I unfortunately forget who pointed me in their direction, but if that person reads this review, know that you have my gratitude.

This world is an interesting blend of cultural details. I think I detect a basis in Korean culture, but Mara's husband commits seppuku like a seasoned Japanese Samurai. The names of the noble houses could be Japanese or Chinese in some instances or Aztec in others. It's a fascinating mixture.

The Game of Council that Mara plays so well is highly reminiscent of George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, which was written about 10 years later. Just as Martin gave us strong women characters acting within a system designed to oppress them, Feist and Wurts give us a heroine who is both smart and tough enough to protect her House of Acoma in this masculine world. Her female way of doing things gives her an advantage in negotiations with the insectoid aliens known as cho-ja, treating with them in their termite-like mound, queen to queen. I hope that these interesting creatures will figure more prominently in the next volume.

For its time (1987), this fantasy book is very female-forward. Mara is fortunate to have loyal soldiers and to have a talent for bending tradition to her will. She finds advantage where others would see hardship. I enjoyed Feist's Rift War Saga, but I like this novel much more. And I am wondering about Ms. Wurts solo fiction, so I may burden my already groaning TBR list.

Captain's Fury / Jim Butcher

 

3 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer 2023***

Reading prompt: Book with a dog on the cover
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 8

A lot of things shift in this book. The First Lord has to do something drastic. Tavi (or maybe I should refer to him as Octavian now?) learns his heritage, reaches his full growth, and figures out just how difficult adulting can be. Bernard and Amara have their loyalty stretched to its limits. Isana has to relinquish her most deeply guarded secret.

Butcher has cleverly plotted this volume, giving out problems left and right, then providing clever ways around or through said problems. Some of the solutions you can predict, others are less obvious. Thankfully, he is still able to surprise readers.

One of the high spots for me was the oceanic encounter with the leviathans. The creatures themselves were an inspired creation, being so huge, wild, and uncontrollable. The uncertainty of that adventure kept me reading frantically. Isana was amazing! Punching a shark away with her water fury! Following that remarkable incident, I have come to wonder if she has far more power than she has allowed herself to believe. Excessive power could have drawn attention to her little steadholt and to her family that she just didn't want.

Two books in the series remain. One in which Tavi can get the Canim back to their own lands and one in which he can consolidate what he has set up in this book. And we still have the unresolved question of where Lady Aquitaine has disappeared to and what repercussions Marcus/Fidelius will face for his disobedience. Plenty of issues for two more books.

Book number 490 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Midnight Riot / Ben Aaronovitch

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book categorized as urban fantasy
12 sided dice roll: 5

It is extremely interesting to revisit an old favourite as an audiobook. I found myself noticing things that I had glossed over when I read the paper version. Likewise, I found things that I found significant in paper seemed much less so in audio. In short, quite a different experience.

I now comprehend the general enthusiasm for Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as a narrator. He really shows his acting chops as he tackles the range of accents and genders in this novel. He performs the female characters well, without parody. He switches accents fluidly. I was particularly fond of his version of Seawoll.

Once again, I am amazed how many characters and concepts are introduced so smoothly in this first book. Kudos to Mr. Aaronovitch for his skills in that regard. I know that more favourite characters are still in the offing, but there are all ready plenty. It is always a treat to spend time in Peter Grant's London.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches / Sangu Mandanna

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book with a character named James or a diminutive.
12 sided dice roll: 4

Because survival is insufficient.

I'm a sucker for “found family" stories, one of the many reasons that I love urban fantasy. Orphans finding friendship and love once they can get out of their own way. Learning to believe that someone cares about them. Mika Moon is a witch and witches are always orphans. She was raised by a senior witch but at arms length, relegated to nursemaids and tutors. Once she was old enough to be on her own, she became nomadic, moving regularly to keep ahead of the perception of her differentness.

Although her mentor, Primrose, advises against it, Mika longs for a real connection. The Rules say that witches can't group together and shouldn't reveal their talents to those around them. Mika finds these restrictions alienating. She is ripe for the offer that comes to her from Nowhere House to be a tutor and guide to three young witches. The adults around them are great at loving, but haven't any magical skill. Almost everyone is glad to have Mika as part of the household, except for Jamie, the librarian. He is gruff, grumpy, and occasionally hostile.

That's my favourite romance trope—enemies to lovers. Although enemies seems a bit extreme for their starting place. Mandanna paces things well. She doesn't allow the relationship to develop too quickly or too easily. I was completely surprised by two twists close to the end of the book. They were elegantly done and helped to wrap things up neatly.

A very cozy paranormal romance that I would not hesitate to recommend to readers of the genre (or anyone else searching for a cozy book).

The Orc King / R.A. Salvatore

 

3 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer 2023***

Reading prompt: Book between 250 and 500 pages in length
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 2

Salvatore is maturing as a writer. This book still has an overabundance of fight scenes, described in more detail than I personally needed. At least the morality has become much more nuanced, with many shades of grey instead of strict black and white. The commitment to more realistic characters began in The Spine of the World, when the author admitted that even good guys could have libidos, make dreadful choices, and wander from the path of nobility. Despite a bit of backsliding in previous books, the author seems to have realized that adult readers need more than just sword fights to keep them entertained.

We get a schooling in Drizzt philosophy at the beginning of each section. If you are accustomed to thinking of your adversary as evil, can you bring yourself to forge a peace treaty with them? Are you letting down the unavenged dead? Is the preservation of many lives going to outweigh the past? If it might save people shouldn't peace at least be attempted? King Bruenor struggles with all these questions. Can an extremely conservative Dwarf change his beliefs about his world?

We get an up-close view of orc society in this installment. It’s maybe more like the other races than we are comfortable with in an enemy. We've been dragged through several volumes of the war with the orcs at this point and I must say that I hope we get a new kind of adventure in the next book of the series. As I have said before, I grow tired of the preponderance of warfare in fantasy literature and I would love to see Drizzt and Cattie-Brie do something different.

Book number 489 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Deliverer / C.J. Cherryh

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer 2023***

Reading prompt: Book categorized as space opera
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 1

Be careful what you wish for.

Bren, the aiji-Dowager, and the young gentleman, Cajeiri, the heir, have returned to the capitol city, along with Tabini. After the rebellion, everything is in flux and Tabini is concentrating on regaining control of his government. The youngster, being used to the relative freedom of the space ship and his human pals, is lonely, bored and annoyed with his confinement. He wishes for something to happen. Then it does when he is kidnapped by his father's political rivals.

Cherryh introduces an innovation in this volume—we get Cajeiri as narrator, alternating with Bren. Since he gets separated from the responsible adults in his life, this is a sensible way for the author to keep the reader informed. And it is a pleasant change from Bren's constant searching for connections and worrying. Cajeiri tells us at one point that he and his great-grandmother have discussed Bren. They recognize his emotional nature and they can't always predict what he will do, but they know that he will do his best for them.

The adults are concerned that the young gentleman has missed the developmental window where he should have been bonding with other atevi, and indeed he sorely misses his human friends from the ship. Curiously, no one seems to think that it would be a good idea to keep him busy with appropriate activities, leaving him plenty of time to plan shenanigans. Perhaps fearing for his life will reset his brain and let him appreciate his own species?

Cherryh is wonderful at juggling the interactions between several human factions and intertwining atevi political manoeuvring. Things progress slowly until the kidnapping. We can share Cajeiri's impatience for action. But once the plot is shoved into motion, the pace never slows. If you've made it this far in the series, you're likely as addicted as I am, and also glad that there are still numerous volumes still ahead.

Book number 488 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Scarlet / Genevieve Cogman

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book where the main character has a secret.
12 sided dice roll: 12

When I heard that Genevieve Cogman had written the first book of a new series, I didn't even care what the topic was. I knew I wanted to read it. Then I learned that it was a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. So I read that novel for the first time this year and enjoyed it despite some misgivings. I'm glad I read the original, although I don't think it's necessary to enjoy this book. And I've come to the conclusion that adding vampires improves many things.

Eleanor is a professional embroiderer and seamstress working for an aristocratic vampire in England. She has some ambitions but had no idea how she will ever get to act on them. Then one day, Eleanor's mistress lends her to a visiting couple, the Blakeneys. Eleanor is both excited and a little annoyed; after all, she feels she is being lent like a fan or a horse, not a human. But she has been raised to be a co-operative servant and she won't have to provide blood for the Blakeneys.

It quickly becomes obvious to her that Sir Percy Blakeney is the Scarlet Pimpernel and that he has a plan that involves her somehow. She endures a variety of training—deportment, French language, and equestrian skills. She is uncomfortable being surrounded by aristocrats and resents many of their assumptions about people of her station.

The action picks up when the team assembles and sails to France. There, Eleanor gets separated from the group almost immediately and discovers that she can use her wits and her new skills to survive. Eleanor is reunited with her team, but more adventures befall her. Her mettle is tested repeatedly and she can't help having some sympathy for the initial goals of the Revolution. After all, why should some humans be declared superior to others? Her emotions gets pulled back and forth. Do her aristocratic team mates truly value her? Will they abandon her when their objectives are met? Will she ever see England again?

This is an excellent beginning. Eleanor has acquired a secret weapon during one of her separations from the Englishmen, reminding me very much of Margaret Rogerson's Vespertine. I'll be interested to see where Cogman takes things from here.

The Moving Finger / Agatha Christie

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book set in a rural area/small community.
12 sided dice roll: 2

I was a bit disappointed that Miss Marple appeared so late in the game in this book. We spent a remarkably short time with her and had little opportunity to observe her process. Much different from The Body in the Library. I still enjoyed the book—I was rather fond of Jerry Burton, the narrator, and his sister, Joanna. Jerry has been sent to Lymstock, a small out-of-the-way village, to recover from a flying accident, boredom apparently being part of the cure. The siblings are city people out of their element, providing an outside eye on the Poison Pen letters that are troubling the village.

Readers get to know the villagers along with Jerry and Joanna. They argue over their theories and make the rounds, gathering such information as they can. All that is left is for Jane Marple to be summoned, to see through to the heart of the matter and to twinkle at Jerry Burton.

I have to wonder about all the theories of the time about spinsters going lunatic. Echoes of it still exist, such as the conviction that childlessness is some sort of disorder or that unmarried women (and men) are rather odd. Maybe we are, but we are odd in ways we enjoy.

Fledgling / Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer 2023***

Reading prompt: Bildungsroman/coming of age story
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 9

Do you ever have neatly laid out plans (first I'll finish this book, then that one) and something just calls out to you, “No, me first!” That's what happened with Fledgling and me. I just couldn't resist the siren call of the Liaden universe.

At first, I wondered if I would enjoy the book, as Theo seemed so young and Delgado (a Safe World) seemed determined to wrap her in cotton batten and stifle her in its political correctness. A warning perhaps about taking all the risks and adventure out of life. But as Theo strives to grow up, her mother Kamele is struggling with a thorny academic situation. Someone has been tampering with the Archives, editing documents, the originals of which are on another planet. Kamele must go off-world to view the originals and Theo is dismayed when her mother elects to have her daughter accompany her on this mission.

Theo, the clumsy child, has just recently discovered dance and her own aptitude for it. She meets new friends and dance partners while in transit and learns to face life and its challenges with poise. A charming coming of age story, Theo and Kamele reaching a new stage in their relationship and setting things up for further adventures for Theo (and maybe a certain young pilot she meets along the way). I don't know how long I'll be able to wait before requesting the next book!

Book number 487 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Frost in May / Antonia White

 

3 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book that was published before 2000.
12 sided dice roll: 2

A little research revealed this book to be largely autobiographical. The author has my sincere sympathies. I can't imagine sending a nine year old to a convent school to be taught by nuns! Children are so sensitive at this age, believing all kinds of magical things. Religion is just another magical system to them. And they crave approval, are willing to do all kinds of extreme things to get a kind word.

I know a thing or two about competitiveness between kids too. I remember being 5 or 6 when my parents first took me to church and sent me off to Sunday school for the first time. Here were all these children who knew all the stories and could do all the crafts! They'd been doing this for years. I recall setting my little jaw and vowing to get caught up! I had zero desire to be the ignorant little girl in class.

One of my friends was shipped off to boarding school in England as a girl and told me that it resulted in suicidal ideation. There are always students and teachers who amuse themselves by tormenting those around them. Religious schools seem to have granted a sense of impunity to their teachers—they borrowed authority from their institutions for their misdeeds. Sadly, bullying and teasing happen in all schools. Why are humans so congenitally unkind to one another?

White obviously knew from an early age that she would be a writer. Her avatar, Nanda, is writing a novel which gets her expelled from the convent school, just as happened to White as a girl. Nanda's appreciation for literature, music, theatre, and art often gets her in trouble with the nuns for being worldly. This is one thing that Nanda just can't give up, though, and White's valuation of the arts stands out in bold relief.

The Name of the Wind / Patrick Rothfuss

 

3.75 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer 2023***

Reading prompt: Book with the title written in yellow
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 5

I had to repeatedly remind myself that although a mature Kvothe was narrating this tale, he was telling the story of a child. Even at the University, he was only 15. Young, with all the arrogance, self-centredness, and obtuseness of that stage of life. The book was very readable, but I frequently found myself mightily annoyed with Kvothe and had to set the book aside until my temper cooled.

Despite my annoyance with the main character there was no question of abandoning the novel. Rothfuss spins a good tale and knows how to tell it. Kvothe is a variant on the high fantasy hero—an orphan (although not immediately), unusually talented at a great many things, remarkably good at whatever he sets his mind to. He is saved from being overly perfect by exactly those characteristics that rub me the wrong way. His arrogance means that he doesn't pay enough attention to the right things and ends up hoist by his own petard repeatedly. His self focus means that he takes blatant advantage of the folk who actually care about him. His youth lets him take risks that wiser people would think twice about. He is far too fond of the role of hero.

And yet, he has a core of decency, likely a result of a decent upbringing by caring parents. He doesn't take advantage of the women in his life. He doesn't leave a village to be burned down, though the denizens have been less than kind. He tries to be a good friend, he works hard, and he takes care of dangers to his community when he can. He is a good innkeeper, protecting his customers.

I am intrigued by several things that will convince me to read on. I want to know about his companion, Bast. He is Fae, but I don't know what that means in Kvothe's world. Why are they a team? What is it that Bast really wants? Who is Denna in truth? Does she give a damn about Kvothe? Or is she too damaged to truly care about anyone? This first book seems to be the tale of Kvothe's youth. I expect the next book to tackle the questions regarding what he does with these talents as an adult. How does he end up as an innkeeper in the back of beyond? I expect volume 2 will be every bit as thick, but I hope it will also be easy to read.

Book number 486 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

A Cast of Falcons / Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book featuring a character who is an archeologist, anthropologist, paleontologist, wildlife or marine biologist. Or who generally works in a similar field.

12 sided dice roll: 6

Dr. Nell Ward is an ecologist and her alter ego is Lady Eleanor, living at Finchmere, her family's estate. When her best friend is getting married and needs a venue, she offers Finchmere. And then everything goes wrong. First the groom makes a skeezy pass at Nell (and she stabs him with a fork! Go,Nell!). Then this same groom falls or is pushed from an upper level and is dead as a doornail on the wedding night. He is only the first….

Nell puts all her ecologist observational skills to work with James, her detective inspector boyfriend, and Rav, her handsome co-worker, to figure out who the murderer(s) is/are. In the meanwhile, Nell must figure out which of the men she is working with is most important to her. James, being a white dude with a position of authority, assumes he will be her choice. Rav, unsure whether his traditional Hindu parents will accept a white aristocrat as his partner, waffles a lot. By book's end, I had no doubt that Nell had chosen correctly, but you'll have to read for yourself to find out who is the lucky guy. Mind you, I was disappointed that she had to survive a life threatening injury to figure out which one to choose.

Like the first book, I found the title annoying. At least a pair of falcons make a cameo appearance here, but a better title might have been A Parliament of Owls, as a nesting pair of Barn Owls feature prominently in the solution of the groom’s murder. 

Borders of Infinity / Lois McMaster Bujold

 

3.5 out of 5 stars

I just listened to Winterfair Gifts and was reminded of Sgt. Taura, prompting me to revisit the story where Miles Vorkosigan meets Taura (who is an experimental being known as ‘Nine' when they encounter each other).

This book is actually three novellas strung together by the visit of Simon Illya, Imperial Security head, to Miles' hospital bed, requesting ‘clarification’ on some of the expenses on these three missions.

Grover Gardner is a good narrator. I always knew which character was speaking and I could discern the difference between Miles' interior monologue and his spoken words. Miles has a lively interior monologue! I'm glad to have filled in these gaps in my Vorkosigan knowledge.

Book number 485 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Winterfair Gifts / Lois McMaster Bujold

 

4 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book that includes a wedding
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 10

A nice, short venture into the world of audiobooks! Miles and Ekaterin are getting married and Armsman Roic is trying desperately to do a good job and to hopefully counteract what he considers to be his poor showing the “the bug butter incident.“ Roic has never left Barrayar and is rather awed by the exotic guests showing up from Miles' past. He is given escort duty to Sgt. Taura, the large bioengineered mercenary, which is a strain for the shy man, especially going to the modiste to obtain a suitable wardrobe for her role in the wedding celebration.

Is it fate that keeps throwing Roic and Taura together? I suspect Miles may have something to do with it! I think he may have recognized the gleam in Roic's eye as he admired the formidable Taura.

What a pleasure to listen to this short, sweet little story where Roic and Taura together prevent a murder and a wedding disaster, all the while making eyes at one another. I can see myself reading a paper copy someday and I do wonder how well I will remember the details in the future, but it was just what I wanted this evening.

Book number 484 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

The Lies of Locke Lamora / Scott Lynch

 

4.25 out of 5 stars

***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***

Prompt: Book that is more than 500 pages in length.
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 11

Does the beginning of this tale remind anyone else of Oliver Twist? The Thiefmaker taking orphaned children and teaching them how to pick pockets and run a solid deception. Locke Lamora also reminds me somewhat of the Stainless Steel Rat, Slippery Jim DiGriz, except that Lynch treats his character seriously instead of the slapstick of Harry Harrison's books. But Locke's cons are every bit as convoluted as Jim's. He runs into lots of snags, too, just like Mr. DiGriz.

If you don't care for foul language or violence, this is not the book you are looking for. But if you are looking for a book where women are treated fairly equally, you will be pleased. The crime boss of Camorr plans for his daughter, Nazca, to rule when he's gone. We don't get to spend any time with the lone female member of the Gentlemen Bastards, but there is no doubt that she's the equal of any of them.

I think the charm of the story results from the friendships. Locke and his Gentlemen Bastards have become each other's family, arguing like brothers but always having each other's backs. That's what Lynch is doing when he alternates between the present and the past. While it often feels like he is self-sabotaging the story's momentum, he is displaying the reasons that these men stick together. There can be honour among thieves. It was certainly an entertaining story and then in the last few chapters it became a fast and fabulous finale!

If you like a smart-ass antihero, amusing banter, and convoluted schemes, Locke Lamora is your man.

Book 483 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project