Soulless / Gail Carriger

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Punk'd square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

There were overlapping reasons to reread this novel right now: firstly, Halloween Bingo and wanting a steampunk book for it; second, a delicate recovery from a reading slump which seems to respond well to paranormal romance; and third, the recent acquisition of this novel from my favourite second-hand bookstore. The stars thus aligned, I returned to the world of Alexia Tarabotti, Lord Maccon (alpha werewolf), and Lord Akedalma (rove vampire).

I adore Gail Carriger's sense of humour—silly, but in a way that makes me laugh instead of roll my eyes. I also like the fact that there is no love triangle here. Alexia and Lord Maccon have the mating dance floor to themselves. Lord Akeldama, the flamboyantly gay vampire, acts as wise(ish) friend to Alexia and as foil to the unsubtle werewolf courting Alexia. Miss Tarabotti's clueless and frivolous family also provide comic relief.

If I have any complaints, they would be that the match is made too quickly. I would have loved at least one more book's worth of courtship before the relationship becomes established. However, this novel is always fun, even with repetition.

Evil Under the Sun / Agatha Christie

 

4 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2026

I used my Lovebug wild card to read this for the Dark Academia square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

One of the better Hercule Poirot novels. The Belgian detective has no sidekick for this investigation so we don't get much in the way of explanation along the way. Like Mrs. Gardener, we must wait for the final reveal. It was only three years ago that I read this, but I was completely off base with my suspicions once again! This is why Christie is one of my favourite authors. Rereading is still enjoyable.

I got thrown off the scent when I took characters' opinions for facts. In this way, I am every bit as foolish as Arthur Hastings! He is lamentably absent from this novel (presumably off in the Argentine). He would have been captivated by the red headed Arlena and suitably shocked by her murder.

Reputedly, Christie was sick and tired of the Poirot character by 1930. This book was published in 1941. She must have found some forgiveness for him, as she gives him an extremely well written mystery to star in here.

Shield of Thunder / David Gemmell

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the A Grimm Tale square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

This past summer, I reread The Odyssey. Now I kind of wish that I had also revisited The Iliad. This novel is set at the very beginning of the Trojan war. Mostly, when I think about this war, I think about the Trojan Horse, the great wooden horse which the Greeks used to sneak into the city of Troy. If Wikipedia can be believed, it is only briefly mentioned in The Odyssey, but receives fuller treatment in The Aeneid. I hadn't thought about it, but this event was at the end of a years long bloody war. Gemmell writes a gripping tale of this mythic event.

I was interested to compare Homer's version of Odysseus with Gemmell's. Homer depicts him as crafty, brave, and eloquent. Gemmell gives him the epithet the Ugly One and emphasizes his ability to spin heroic tales out of unfortunate events.

Despite my weariness with fantasy world battles, Gemmell roped me in with characters I truly cared about. I was once again pleasantly surprised by the significance of the women. Andromache is shown to be a woman of courage and intelligence. Kalliope is more impetuous but proves to be loyal and tough. Gemmell also creates two men who guide the reader through the Greek world which is unfamiliar to many of us. Kalliades and Banokles provided me with their viewpoints to all the action. They are sword brothers, but they couldn't be more different. Kalliades is a planner, intelligent and sensitive. Banokles is ruled by his desires for food, wine, and women. Late in the book, watching Banokles in charge of other men and watching him bumble his way to heroism was highly entertaining.

Some men are not brave or tough, some women have immense courage. Gemmell gives us real feeling characters that we can cheer for and sympathize with. Since characters are the way to this reader's heart, this book was a success for me. I'll look forward to the third volume.

The Midnight Feast / Lucy Foley

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for the Closed Circle Mysteries square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

Lucy Foley's writing is not to my taste, but this book is the October choice of my mystery book club. (Her novel The Paris Apartment was popular with members, so this one was added to this year's agenda.) She's very good at writing a whole bunch of unpleasant people, most of whom are concealing secrets. I don't need to like a character to care about them, but caring about this batch of entitled jerks was next to impossible for me.

There are three timelines: before and after the solstice and diary entries from 15 years earlier. The diary assists the reader to understand what transpires in the more recent entries. Foley switches narrators frequently, revealing their current motivations which are contrasted with their past behaviour. I gradually began to figure all the connections, and it was this mental exercise that kept me reading. This was hard on a reader who is usually all about the characters.

Things revolve around Francesca, owner of the Manor, entrepreneur, snob, actress, and queen of denial. She works hard to suppress reality, allowing herself to keep traveling down the path that leads to darkness. Foley led me along with hints about the ultimate event of the long ago summer. The trail of bread crumbs seemed so obvious….which should have alerted me that there was a surprise ahead. At the 60% mark, I thought I had it all ciphered. All I can say is keep your wits about you. I was fooled fair and square.

Alpha Night / Nalini Singh

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

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

Another paranormal romance to tempt me into reading for Bingo. I am rereading Singh's Trinity series in preparation for her new book, due at the end of November this year. Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I have read this volume once before but didn't review it. Understandable, as these books are pretty formulaic. The author, like me, seems to have a distinct preference for her Psy characters and has found many unique ways to fuck them up. In this one, Ethan Night can feel power pounding on his psychic shields and has learned to retreat into a grey half life to protect himself. Imagine his shock, at a conference for empaths, when the alpha wolf, Selenka, not only protects him, but is wounded while doing so. Having grown up under the jurisdiction of Ming Le Bon, master manipulator, Ethan has never experienced kindness or caring. He is bowled off his feet.

Selenka is equally unsettled, as she feels the mating bond slam into place with a Psy she doesn't know at all. She doesn't believe in mating at first sight, but her beliefs don't seem to matter. She is most dismayed to have found her mate, only to discover that he thinks he has Scarab Syndrome that will send him over the edge into self destruction. Plus, Ethan seems to be unnaturally devoted to her, which twinges her conscience.

This is a romance, so I knew as I picked it up where we would be headed. I think that's why paranormal romances are so effective during my reading slumps—I can count a happy ending while enjoying the journey to get there.

An Expert in Murder / Nicola Upson

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

This isn't a vintage mystery, but it does feature Golden Age author Josephine Tey as a main character. I went into the novel expecting the author to write Tey as the primary (amateur) investigator. I was very mistaken. Instead, Upson has created DI Archie Penrose, close friend of Josphine's deceased lover. The two men were in the Great War together.

The war, although it is over, remains as a great influence in this mystery. The first murder, of a young woman who is a theatre enthusiast, seems to be completely unrelated. She is an adopted child, orphaned by the conflict, but how could that be blamed for her demise?

Archie and Josephine use their wartime experiences to inform the murder investigation. I admired how Upson structured the plot, dealing out clues gradually and distracting me with facts. She has obviously studied those Golden Age authors and learned a thing or two. If you are a devotee of Josephine Tey, you may be put off by her depiction (I have discovered that vintage mystery enthusiasts rarely appreciate a modern author using their darlings as characters). I have read a couple of Tey's novels, but I am not fan-girl enough to resent this. I enjoyed the novel.

Bound/Unbound / Ali Hazelwood

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

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

I am teetering on the edge of a reading slump and, strangely, romance novels (mostly paranormal romance novels) seem to be the antidote for me these days. I really enjoyed Hazelwood's Bride, so I happily put a hold on this volume of two novellas at my library.

They were good, light fun. Not on par with Bride IMO, but still entertaining. I would recommend reading Bound first, as characters from this novella have roles in Unbound. I am a big fan of vampire novels, although these beings prefer the term revenant in this fiction. There is enough of a plot beside the romance to keep things interesting (because let's face it, you know how a romance will end).

Thanks to Ms. Hazelwood for a slump busting book.

Certain Dark Things / Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

2 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo 2026

I read this for The Carpathians square of my 2026 Halloween Bingo card.

In every genre of books there is an unspoken contract between the writer and the reader. I go into a vampire story with certain expectations. This book felt like Moreno-Garcia was trying to mess with the contract, to give it a literary fiction version. Some genres are difficult to mix and in my opinion vampires and lit fic are like oil and water--it's very unlikely that they will coexist easily.

In this alternate Mexico, there are ten species of vampires and only one of them is the native Aztec version. The others have come to Mexico to avoid problems in their home countries and they have apparently formed gangs. Like gangs everywhere, they are violent and hostile. And, yes, I know most fiction shows vamps in families or clans, but these gangs feel altogether too human to me. Especially because they're all about the drugs. Okay, I get it—the drug cartels are like vampires, sucking the life out of Mexico. SMG slugged me over the head with it.

Two stars. It was okay.

The Story of Birds / Steve Brusatte

 

4.5 out of 5 stars 

I enjoyed Steve Brusatte's books about dinosaurs and mammals, but I got excited when I realized he had written about birds. This book melds two of my lifelong passions, birds and dinosaurs. My father used to tell me stories about my toddler years, when I vibrated with excitement when we heard owls calling and when I knew the names of “all the dinosaurs” by the time I was three.

Brusatte traces the evolution of the small coelurosaurs as they grew feathers and shrank, eventually morphing into what we now call birds. I haven't been concentrating on dinosaur research for the last decade, so there was a lot of new-to-me information. I used to teach the dinosaur section of docent training at our local zoo and really enjoyed keeping up to date. I hope to return to this habit.

Brand new to me was the section on fossil birds following the big extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. This is a rapidly changing field of study and I am smitten. I haven't read Nature or The Journal of Evolutionary Biology for ages, but I plan to pay attention again.

Then there are the fossil birds that are more recent: the Elephant Birds, the Moas, the Terror Birds, etc. Plus birds like the Dodo which went extinct during historical times. I loved the chapter on flightless birds, especially the DNA studies and their classification. Penguins are a favourite bird family of mine, so I share an interest with the author's five year old son. Here, too, there was new information.

I can see where I will want to read this book again in the future to cement the new data into my aging brain. I will also pursue some of these topics with other books. I am so glad that I read this and remembered the pleasure of these pursuits. And of course I will continue to enjoy watching our surviving dinosaurs, our feathery bird friends.

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.