The Murder of Roger Ackroyd / Agatha Christie

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Village Villainy square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

My third time reading this mystery and it is still enjoyable, even though I remembered who the murderer was. However I had fun watching Christie introduce all the clues and craft her special sort of confusion. The exact details had escaped my memory, so I had the joy of Poirot's grand reveal at novel's end.

Dr. Sheppard is very similar to Hastings in his account of the case. His tale is shaped by the things he knows and those he doesn't. Like several other characters, he assumes that Poirot is past his prime and is obsessing over irrelevant details. He fails to realize just how attentive to detail the little Belgian is. As an aside, I am kind of horrified/glad that men get underestimated as they age too. In a misery loves company kind of way.

If Books Could Kill / Kate Eberle

 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Magical Realism square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

3.5  out of 5 stars

A book which was both fun and frustrating. Roxie is talking to her best friend and wishes to be the main character in her favourite author's next novel. She is close to a mysterious panhandler and drops some money in his hat. And then she is approached by an extremely handsome man at the library. It dawns on her that she is indeed caught up in a romance novel and she meets Jack for a romantic date, whereupon he attempts to murder her. A quick check of the author's social media shows that she is trying out a new genre, the thriller.

There are mixed characteristics of the mystery/thriller and romance genres throughout the book. I hadn't consulted the book description before starting to read and I was as startled as Roxie when Jack pulled a knife on her while kissing her passionately. Whiplash! That was actually fun, but the many, many tropes from both genres were a bit tiring after a while. Having said that, there were several laugh out loud moments that I appreciated.

It's a debut novel and I hope Ms. Eberle continues to write. She has good ideas, a pleasing writing style, and an excellent sense of humour. I'd be willing to try any future books, although I would love it if she would pick only one genre for them.

Unpredictable Magic / Faith Hunter

 

4.3 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Spellbound square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

This is a spinoff from Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series, featuring the brother and sister duo of Angelina and Evan Everhart-Trueblood. They were children beloved by Jane (Angie Baby and Little Evan). Now they are all grown up, running their own investigation business, and struggling to retain some autonomy from the Dark Queen's court and politics.

Hunter has taken them in an entertaining direction, using their witchy talents and hiding their own secrets. The Witch War is alluded to, the results of which impinge on both young people and the formal vampire government under Jane Yellowrock. I don't know why I was initially reluctant to read this book, but I didn't expect to be interested in Angie and EJ. Boy, was I wrong!

I was also interested to read in the acknowledgements that Faith Hunter thought she was done writing when she finished the Soulwood series. She was encouraged to write for fun, producing this novel. Indications are that she intends to write more adventures for the siblings. I'm happy about that and will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. I began a reread of Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood this summer and will finish that as I'm able. That will help fill my thirst for the Yellowrock universe until the next Everhart Investigations book.

Fate / Ian Hamilton

 

2 out of 5 stars. It was okay.

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Raven/Free square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

I've been to a conference where this author was a featured guest, but I had never read any of his books. He seemed to be a very straightforward guy, not given to fuss. His prose reflects this impression. He sentences are short, as are the chapters. He writes very matter-of-factly. There is no padding of extra words. It is a very unemotional style.

You can say the same thing about Uncle Chow. He lives a very simple life for a senior triad member. His indulgences are few: cigarettes, beer, and betting on horse races. The triad is his entire life and he is devoted to it. Some of this he explains as the loss of his girlfriend as they were escaping mainland China. At several points in the novel, Chow talks to her spirit and he doesn't seem to have ever considered finding another woman. His only other emotional outlet is yelling at the horse races.

The lack of emotion in all the characters bothered me. These are gangsters. There is just no way that they would all be so rational and calm all the time. Regular people are more unpredictable than these men were. Chow does eventually resort to violence, but even then he controls the scenario so thoroughly that the damage is minimal. Usually if violence starts, it gets out of hand. Someone loses his temper and causes chaos. It just didn't seem realistic to me.

I read this for my mystery book club but I really wouldn't consider it a mystery. Yes, there is a bit of intrigue, but I did not find it exciting. By halfway through the book, I had guessed where the plot was headed. I'm glad that I gave Hamilton a try, but his work is really not my thing. Your mileage may vary.

Ask for Andrea / Noelle W. Ihli

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Genre: Supernatural square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

Usually, ghost stories freak me out. My prefrontal cortex has declared its decision: ghosts do not exist. My amygdala is having none of that. It leaves me susceptible to needing to hide under the bedclothes when the sun sets. This novel featured three ghosts, but it didn't set off any panic in me. The young women are trying so hard. They can't move physical objects, they can't produce audible sound, and they can't influence the living. They are trying to figure out their ghostly existence and they are motivated only by trying to stop their murderer. I guess it just seemed like such a reasonable pursuit that they didn't really feel like scary ghosts. I would help them if I could.

The author's version of the afterlife was actually comforting to me. The three girls had to learn how to be effective haunters, but mostly were just observers of the living. As they mined their memories for beloved people to reconnect with after death, I cheered. I have mixed feelings about whether there is an afterlife, but there are so many people that I would love to talk to again. Occasionally I have dreams of drinking coffee and visiting with my mother and my aunt, and I am always upset when they end.

The last third of the book provided plenty of tension for this reader. I couldn't set the book down. I'd be interested in reading the prequel to this book. There's numbering that seems to hint at another volume, but I'm not sure how the author would continue on from this ending. Time will tell, I guess, but I will certainly read whichever of her books my library buys.

A Dance with Dragons / George R.R. Martin

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I used the From the Vault wild card in order to read this for the Alice in Wonderland square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

This book has been lingering on my TBR since 2012 and I decided to tackle it this year. It has been four years since I read A Feast for Crows and I found that my memory of the myriads of side characters has faded. The constant war and harsh conditions has also beaten me down. There's no end in sight, which I find disheartening. I can understand why Martin got stalled here.

As with the previous books, some characters appeal to me more than others. I looked forward to the chapters featuring Jon Snow, Tyrion, Bran, Arya and even Reek (Theon Greyjoy). I tolerated the Daenerys and Victarion Greyjoy chapters, but found them over long, I must admit. That's not everyone by any stretch of the imagination, but those were the characters that made an impression on me.

There was a preview of The Winds of Winter, so Martin had obviously made a beginning at the next installment, but he must have been tired of this world of mud and blood. I haven't watched the television adaptation, but their need to end the series must also have discouraged him from providing his own conclusion. So, we are left with unanswered questions. Will Jon Snow's attempt at humanitarian treatment of the wildings work? Will Tyrion ever see Westeros again? Will Theon completely escape the clutches of Ramsey Bolton? What will Arya do with her new skills? Will Daenerys learn to control her dragons? With so many characters there are so many questions.

This is also Book number 546 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project.

D is for Death / Harriet F. Townson

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Cozy Mystery square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

Dora Wildwood is delightful. She sees what's happening around her and often comments on it, often startling those listening to her. [This makes her very like Gemma Doyle of Vicki Delany's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries. Townson manages to make Dora charming, while Delany's Gemma often grates on my nerves.] Dora is also a runaway bride. She has fled her small village for the big smoke of London to get away from Charles Silk-Butters and his boorish controlling ways.

Of course Charles pursues Dora and makes himself a nuisance because a woman must not be allowed to make up her own mind. As she flees from his clutches, Dora finds herself invited into a glorious library. But they are all glorious, aren't they? As she spends time in the stacks, Dora literally trips over a body. She has recently witnessed the Chief Librarian in a rage and now he is dead.

Dora's ability to see what's going on brings her to the attention of Detective Inspector Fox. The plot progresses at a fast clip from there. I found it a satisfying read and was pleased to see that there is now a sequel, Murder on the Royal Crescent. I’m ever so glad, as there are unresolved issues that need to be addressed. Now I just have to convince my own glorious local library to purchase it.

The Queen's Weapons / Anne Bishop

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Dark, Darker, Grimdark square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

Back to the Future. Or Mean Girls II. In many ways, this book is a repeat of the first couple of volumes of the series. Cruel and devious witches are running social circles that are deliberately nasty to decent folk. Innocent and deserving young women and men are being broken to prevent them from being rivals for power. The court of Dorothea SaDiablo (the evil meanie from the first books) is now being remembered nostalgically. Malice and narcissism are running the school that Janelle Satien tells her father, Daemon, that she simply must attend. Her cousin, Titian, is already there, but for completely different reasons (the art program). JS desperately wants to be a cool girl and fit in with the ruling clique. Her family tries to question her and gets only a ton of attitude. Is this normal adolescent girl behaviour, her father wonders, or is something darker going on? Titian and her friends find themselves targeted by the mean girls.

In some ways this is realistic. Once you've lived through enough decades, you will witness historical cycles like these. A present day example is the re-emergence of Nazism, something that our grandparents thought they had dealt with and eliminated.

I find myself magnetically drawn back to this darkish fantasy series, despite its inherent silly soap opera nature. I sometimes have difficulty keeping the multiple names of kingdoms and rulers straight, but when I'm in the mood for undemanding drama, this has been my go-to series. I only have one book left in the run. Once it's done, whatever will I do when this mood hits?

This is also Book 545 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project.

A Trade of Blood / Robert Jackson Bennett

 

4.4 out of 5 stars 

I think I am familiar enough with this strange world now that it no longer distracts me from the actual mystery. That's a good thing, as this is a particularly intricate plot, with lots of complications and red herrings. Initially, Ana is unhappy to be sent on this assignment, as it is so boring. One member of the gentry has killed another. Yawn! Who cares? But when the duo arrive in cattle country, they find the population up in arms and Ana is delighted when weird shit is immediately obvious. Perhaps her skills are truly required. Happy squee! Yay, strangely dead bodies!

I think the author has been reading about zombie-ant fungus, which infects and reprograms the ant, sending it up to a good spore-spreading spot. The hapless ant grips a leaf with its mandibles and eventually the fungus fruits from its head, completing its lifecycle. [If this sounds overly squicky to you, this may not be your book.]

Ana is somewhat less obnoxious in this installment, though she is still retains her blindfold, her disgusting eating habits, her enormous amount of baggage, and her severe lack of empathy for those around her. If she is the Sherlock Holmes of this duo (and she is), then she is even more extreme than that Victorian detective. Meanwhile, Din is coming to realize that his abilities are changing in disturbing ways and he is worried that he has passed his best-before date much earlier than he anticipated. It's one thing to allow the Empire to modify your brain, it's quite another to run up against the weirdness of that modification so obviously.

However, it's their unusual brains that save Ana and Din physically as well as identifying the perpetrator of the crimes. Keep them coming, Mr. Bennett!

Upon a White Horse / Peter Ross

 

4 out of 5 stars 

***2026 Summer of Sightseeing from my Sofa***

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.

I remember this rhyme from one of my childhood books and it always appealed to me. However, the rhyme is more recent than the places examined in this book. My mother's family came from Britain (among other places), so the prehistory there has been of interest to me. It was enjoyable to follow in Peter Ross's footsteps as he visited various historic sites. He has a way with words, describing these spots well and providing photos for many of them.

Ross begins with the best known of all: Stonehenge, which I have seen only through the fence which surrounded it in 1999. I longingly stuck my camera lens through the metal mesh, but we were on a birding tour and searching for Corn Buntings. No Stonehenge communing for me. From there, the author explores some (perhaps) less well known places, at least no non-English people: Silbury Hill, the chalk figures of the Uffington White Horse and the Cerne Giant. There were also sites that I only learned about a couple of years ago (Vindolanda) and one that came to the world's attention through vandalism (Sycamore Gap) when some idiot(s) chopped down an old, enormous sycamore. My best friend grew up by Hadrian's Wall, so I knew a bit about it, but I wasn't familiar with the Antonine Wall. That's probably because it was primarily constructed of turf and it has faded back into the landscape. The Romans didn't end up sticking around to make it more permanent.

The common denominator between all these places is the lack of written records. What we know about the people who built them has to be inferred from archaeological evidence and involves a certain amount of story telling. There has been a large increase in tourism to sites like these, apparently a response to the pandemic shutdown. People want to get out to touch grass (or in many of these, granite). I felt that Ross hit the nail on the head when he wrote, “Mystery is so important in a world where everything is on your phone."

Scales of Justice / Ngaio Marsh

 

4 out of 5 stars 

What a fish story this was! Inspector Alleyn is called into a murder case in a small village. One of the Old Boys has been beaten over the head and left for dead beside the fishy remains of a much desired trout known as the Old ‘Un.

Marsh teases us with possibilities of the murderer's motives. There is strong competition amongst all the fishermen to be the one to hook the Old 'Un and it has created great animosity. There has also just been a natural death, of Howard Lacklander, who had consigned his memoirs into the hands of the murder victim just before he expired. There is great trepidation and unhappiness among the neighbours about the contents of these memoirs. Marsh dangles hints about what might be causing this consternation, hinting that it might be worth killing for.

This is a very Agatha Christie like novel—set in a small village where everyone knows everyone else's business. It also shows us the class differences that were so blatant at the time. Marsh misdirected this reader quite masterfully and I was completely startled by the solution. A well plotted mystery with a perfect title.

Evil Genius / Claire Oshetsky

 

3.5 stars

I spent most of my time reading this book wondering about the title. Who was the evil genius? Surely not Celia, this nineteen year old woman with a horrible job, an abusive husband, and a controlling mother. If her life is this awful, she's no genius, evil or otherwise. On the other hand, maybe she's not the most reliable of narrators?

If I was believe Celia's account of her life, all kinds of coincidences continually happened to her. She is a runaway train, jumping the tracks of her boring life and gas lighting husband. Her job (dealing with late payments at the phone company) leads to some odd situations, which feel real enough if you've ever worked in the service industry. (I worked a telephone job for a while and was propositioned regularly by the guys who phoned.) There's the Sock Man who repeatedly phones to ask her to put a sock on his willy. The evening out with the girls that results in being propositioned by a well tailored man (her mother was a seamstress, she recognizes a well fitted suit). Finding dog poo all over his house and finding that he is an inferior fondler. It all just rolls along organically.

By the book's end, I was doubting my interpretation of events. Had Celia actually masterminded everyone's reactions to a tee? Maybe she was an evil genius? I still haven't decided and maybe I'm not meant to.

Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? / Thomas Kohnstamm

 

***2026 Summer of Sightseeing from my Sofa***

DNF @ 36%

At this point, I just disliked the author enough that I had no desire to read another word.

This book has taught me that traveling as a birder is entirely different from the regular travel crowd. I mean I already knew that, but I now realize just how different we are. If anyone on my birding tours was trolling for drugs, I don't remember it. Our tour leader in Japan regularly got soused drinking sake, but hangovers don't mix well with early mornings and bright sunshine.

I just couldn't relate. And couldn't dig up enough enthusiasm to finish the book. He's a good writer, but I'd never want to have a coffee with him.

The Odyssey / translated by Emily Wilson

 

4 out of 5 stars 

***2026 Summer of Sightseeing from my Sofa***

When I was planning a travel theme for this summer, I thought why not read one of the earliest travelogues, Homer's The Odyssey? Little did I know that I would be competing with adventurous movie goers who decided to read it either before or after seeing this year's film.

The introduction was so informative, with notes on the history of the tale and how it came to be a written document rather than only an oral tradition. I am reasonably sure that I read a different translation back in the early 1980s while studying classics at university but I remembered very few details. I was entranced by this new translation with its graceful phrasing and beautiful vocabulary.

This is really many stories strung together like a necklace. As a child, I read a lot of Greek mythology books and I was pleased to meet up again with some old friends. Bits and pieces of The Odyssey were packaged as something short-story-like and suitable for children and provided by the extension librarian. I had no idea back then of how well educated in classical knowledge I would be! This translation was very readable. I was pulled into the tale immediately and enjoyed it. I was also reminded of how different the worldview of the Ancient Greeks was from a 21st century North American. 

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying / Django Wexler

 

DNF @ 18%

I may come back to this eventually, but I'm not in the right mood for it now.

I wanted to like this book. Friends have enjoyed it, people that I trust. It has things that I like: humour, snark, and an unconventional approach to a time loop. That's why I say that I may return to it someday. But these elements are so unrelenting! Davi can't seem to say anything non-snarky. At the 18% mark, I found myself avoiding reading because this was what was due at the library. That's my sure sign that a DNF is immanent.

Teach the Torches to Burn / Christina Dodd

 

5 out of 5 stars 

I absolutely adore this series and Lady Rosaline Montague! Now Princess Rosaline of Verona. I've warmed up to her new husband, Prince Escalus, too. He has gone from the man who tricked her (A Daughter of Fair Verona) to the man Rosie has dutifully chosen (Thus With a Kiss I Die) to the man that she desperately wants to get naked with (Teach the Torches to Burn).

Rosie is juggling a lot of responsibilities: wedding planning, keeping the Montagues and Capulets from shedding each other's blood, supervising the Montague kitchen, plus trying to find private time with her bridegroom. Her patience is wearing thin, especially when it becomes obvious that someone is attempting to poison her. Being who she is, Rosie makes plans.

Another fun romp through fictional Verona. If you haven't yet made the acquaintance of fair Rosline, what are you waiting for? Forsooth, get thee the first book and commence reading!

The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy / Brigitte Knightley

 

R

4.25 out of 5 stars 

The Extreme Pleasure of Reading a Fun Romance

A great follow-up to The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy. I like this author's dedication to slow burn and unresolved sexual tension. I adore Osric Mordaunt, the Fyren assassin, who finds himself inexplicably happy, indeed even floaty, when he gets to spend time with healer Aurienne Fairhrim. And not just because she seems to be healing the seith rot condition that was killing him.

Osric is an assassin extraordinaire and occasional dickhead. Aurienne is a rather uptight goody-two-shoes healer. They are indeed star crossed lovers—who are quite determined to state that “This isn't love, dammit!” They are attempting to heal Osric's magical abilities in exchange for a donation to create a vaccine for a plague of pox. They are keeping it on the down low, however, so that Aurienne’s Order doesn't disown her. Also because they are using the Old Ways, which supposedly have been completely discredited. The two snark and whine at each other, but repeated full moon healing ceremonies are allowing them to get to know each other and grudgingly admit that it's not that bad.

Osric is an inspired creation. (Not sure what this says about me.) I tolerated Aurienne because he liked her. I also loved his pack of dogs: Rigor Mortis (Great Dane), Arson (retriever), Perjury and Forgery (border collies), Outraging Public Decency (bulldog; prolific farter), High Treason (borzoi) and Creme Brulee (whippet). Knightley's sense of humour meshes with mine perfectly. The couple's banter and their interior monologues were endlessly entertaining. The author uses the “one bed" trope exceedingly well. And that cover artwork! Gorgeous!

My only real complaint is that everything is so well wrapped up by the end of this book. I hate to see this end, but even slow burn romances must combust eventually and sexual tension must either resolve or snap. Although I am somewhat dismayed that there are only two books, let me state right now that I will gladly read whatever Ms. Knightley publishes next. She knows exactly what I like.

The Human Division / John Scalzi

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Book number 544 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

For me this was an improvement from Zoe's Tale. Scalzi moves along to focus on different characters in the Old Man's War universe. I enjoyed the change in perspective to Harry Wilson, despite the fact that he is very like John Perry: seemingly smarter than everyone around him, able to magically solve any problem at speed, sarcastic as all get out, and apparently unkillable. I guess they did train together, didn't they?

At any rate, there is a new wrinkle in the colonization of the universe. The Conclave, an association of 400 alien worlds, have given humanity notice—no more worlds for you. As a result of Zoe's Tale, Earth is now aware that the Colonial Union has been keeping them ignorant of the realities of the universe and using them as a resource for soldiers and colonists. To say there is a rift between Earth and the CU is an understatement. Will the Conclave be able to woo the home planet away?

I enjoyed the exploration of the diplomatic aspects of this universe. Ambassador Ubumwe is a wonderful character. She also is quick witted, turning hopeless situations into possibilities. She has high expectations of her staff as well as herself. Hart Schmidt is the less competent sidekick who shows how shiny Wilson and Ubumwe are.

And the next novel has been set up. Through back channel communication, the CU and the Conclave have realized that they have a mutual enemy. These mysterious bad guys have been grabbing older spaceships from both sides and using them to cause disruption. I'll be reading The End of All Things, but not until next year. My reading queue is currently over full.

Definitely Thriving / Kerry Clare

 

4.5 out of 5 stars 

This is the perfect book for a fan of Barbara Pym! I read an interview with the author, Kerry Clare, in which she said that this novel was her take on a modern Pym novel. To my way of thinking she knocked it out of the park. Not only is the author a fan of Pym, so is the main character, Clemence Lathbury. Clemence is the run-away divorcee, renting an attic room in a shabby old house. She is determined to live a life that she actually chooses and wants.

The Pym references are numerous. Clemence aspires to be an excellent woman and ends up involved in the local church's jumble sale. She finds herself an unsuitable attachment: Toby, her co-worker at a bookstore, who is as pale as any Pymian curate and suffers from debilitating allergies and food sensitivities. After their first real kiss, Toby runs away “like some untamed gazelle.” The owner of the bookstore (and the local food mart) is named Crampton. Clemence finds odd indexing jobs to support herself. Those are just the obvious ones.

Clare nails the “I want to be independent but I'm somewhat awkward about it" vibe that so many Pymian spinsters exhibit. Clemence also manages to surround herself with friends and friendly acquaintances who love the new, eccentric woman. Like Pym's single women, Clemence is willing to claim what she wants, even if her society is pushing her in another direction.

I am absolutely delighted by this little gem. I borrowed it from the library, but I have a hunch that I will need my own copy.

Murder at the Spirit Lounge / Jess Kidd

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I have finally managed to pin down what I like so much about Jess Kidd's writing—it is so calm, just like the main character Nora Breen. Wherever Nora goes, she takes her aura of calmness right along with her. But even Nora's calm gets tested in this book.

I love the fat gull that Nora has “adopted" and named Father Conway. He waddles in through her window at the boarding house and helps himself to whatever food is on offer. He is the easiest male in the novel to deal with. Nora has been enjoying the pursuit of criminals with Detective Inspector Rideout until this case, where it seems that Rideout is in the crosshairs of the killer. Nora is frustrated by his unwillingness to keep himself safe. Nora's other friend, Hosmer, has been entertaining as he attempts to educate her about music and photography. There is a moment where Nora realizes that these two men see each other as competition for her attention and she is dismayed. 

Nora is learning a lesson that has been delayed by her years in the monastery: it is very difficult for women to have platonic friendships with men. It is dawning on her that she is going to have to choose. Her fellow denizen of Gulls Nest, Bill, gets her set up with men's clothing, which she very much likes, and advises her that Hosmer loves her and to be clear and gentle with him. I think it is obvious to everyone, including Nora, that if she must choose it will be Rideout.

The mystery is solved, of course, largely due to Nora's ability to ask the right questions in a compassionate way and her willingness to delve into the past to get to the root of the problem. And her willingness to chuck a heavy shoe at a deserving target! For me, the real point of the novel is Nora's progress with life outside the monastery—supporting herself, learning her own style, and establishing new relationships. I do hope Kidd is writing a third book.

Zoe's Tale / john Scalzi

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Book number 543 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

The plot of this novel runs concurrently with The Last Colony and is told by Zoe Perry, adoptive daughter of John and Jane Perry, administrators of the Roanoke colony. As a teenager, Zoe has a somewhat different view of events. She is growing into her role as person of intense interest to the race known as the Obin, who achieved consciousness due to research by her biological father.

As I knew from the previous book, Roanoke has been planned by the Colonial Union as a trap for the Conclave. Much of the book is taken up with getting people to Roanoke, being told that the colonists are not allowed to use their tech, and hiding from the Conclave's ships. Plus plenty of teenage stuff. Zoe is getting old enough to figure out what she really wants in the world and this charts her course as her colony comes under attack.

The presentation is totally Scalzi. His characters are usually far more rational than actual people and there is plenty of sarcastic banter. It's been long enough since I read the previous book that I didn't mind the repetition of plot points, but I can't say that I was blown away. It was nice to have a female protagonist (and that Scalzi consulted with women to make sure that he didn't get Zoe too wrong). But I feel like all of his main characters are pretty similar.

So this book fills in some of the gaps in the previous one and answers some readers' questions. By peeking ahead, I am hopeful that the next book will feature new characters and challenges. I have it from the library and will hopefully tackle it soon.

Long Ride Home / Filipe Masetti Leite

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

***2026 Summer of Sightseeing from my Sofa***

I think I heard about this trek both at the beginning and its end. Leite started out in 2012 from the Calgary Stampede. Calgary is my city and horses are one of my true loves; I remember hearing the press about this young Brazilian who was riding from Calgary to Brazil. I was reminded of his trek when his book came out and he was once again interviewed by our local media. That was 2018, so this has been on my TBR for quite a while.

The vast majority of the book takes place in the United States and Mexico. It involves a lot of rough country and more than a few dangerous roads. I believe that if you have a devoted love of horses, you will attract people who share your love. These people show up all along Leite's route, offering meals, water, fodder for the horses, places to stay and rest, and sometimes veterinary care. I'm sure he spent more time riding and camping alone, but he certainly noticed the kindness of fellow horse lovers.

The pace of the story is leisurely, as befits a horseback adventure. It is generally well told, although very basic. Things are clearly described, whether it is a grizzly bear encounter in Yellowstone or a truck hitting one of the horses in Mexico. Leite is unafraid to own his emotions, whether fear, anger, embarrassment, anxiety or joy, but it's a journalist's account of them, not really gripping to me. He maintained a blog and filmed parts of his journey for a sponsor, which gave him valuable notes from which to compose this book.

It was interesting to get to know each of the countries that he passed through. Honduras especially sounded terrifying. It was Panama that stopped them in their tracks—there was no legal way to get the horses into the country, leading to a long plane flight to get to the next destination where they would be welcome. Although I have visited many South American countries as a birding tourist, this made me realize how protected we tourists are by the tour companies.


A quick google search reveals that Leite is still doing horse related events. I was surprised to learn that he was here for the Calgary Stampede again this month, doing media commentary and filming from a chuck wagon. For what it's worth, he isn't married to the woman that accompanied him on many miles of this Long Ride. Perhaps she was overwhelmed by the crowds of Brazilians who demanded his attention once he crossed the border.

Tsalmoth / Steven Brust

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Book number 542 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

I was disappointed when I realized that this book takes place before Vlad and Cawti married. The GR description merely said that Vlad was in love and getting married. I thought he was finally getting over his ex-wife and moving on. He's been moping about her for many books. They were estranged in book three and this is book sixteen. This is the time to revisit their relationship? Actually, the conceit is that current Vlad is telling the tale to Sethra in the current timeline.

The novel is just what I have come to expect of this series. There is a problem which should be simple but keeps getting more and more complicated. Vlad and/or Kragar must go on numerous side quests to get needed information. Vlad cracks wise on a regular basis. He and Cawti eat frequently. There is plenty of teleporting and magic.

If you enjoy Vlad Taltos books, you will enjoy this one. I do hope that if Brust continues to write these adventures that he will finally let Vlad fall in love with someone new. That or let Cawti change her mind. Truthfully, I'm tired of him being all woebegone over her.

The Copenhagen Connection / Elizabeth Peters

3 out of 5 stars

I had to interlibrary loan this novel and, although it was pleasant enough, I'm not sure it was worth the fuss. However, I did get to it read a book set in Denmark (plus there was a pig farm which is a big plus if you grew up on one as I did).

I have enjoyed the first few Amelia Peabody books and the first two Vicky Bliss books by this author, but I found this novel slightly less enjoyable. Elizabeth Jones isn't my kind of character. She's far too focused on first Margaret and then Christian and not nearly independent enough for my taste. Still, it had a good plot and wasn't the least bit confusing. It was awfully obvious from the first pages who Elizabeth's love interest would be and the romance proceeded at the pace of an older mystery-romance, quickly.

I only managed to spend one afternoon in Denmark when I was on a birding tour in Scandinavia. Thankfully I did get a chance to tour Kronberg castle and see the Little Mermaid. Our castle tour was a bit hurried, unfortunately. Birders often aren't keen on being indoors where there are no birds. I do wish I could return while I still have some living relatives. At least this book allowed me to visit via fiction.