Hey. It's ok if you're behind on your yearly reading goal. That number was arbitrarily chosen in a January fog of optimism & champagne anyway, and you don't need to turn something you love & brings you comfort into a stressor. Read good books. Enjoy them. Be gentle with yourself.
@ninsiana0@bookstodon Wise words 😀 although I wouldn't discount the satisfaction that comes from achieving a goal over a long term. It's not the biggest deal but it is something.
I actually do have one goal I really care about, which is to finish the #WheelOfTime series this year... I'm definitely running a little behind on that (only 10.6 books in, out of 14) but it's close enough that I might just make it. 🤞
Following up on an earlier thread asking about similar to Agatha Christie mystery writers...
My understanding is #honkaku are Japanese mysteries in a western orthodox style. So, what are some examples of Japanese mysteries NOT in a western orthodox style? Basically non-honkaku. I went down the rabbit hole a bit this weekend and learned about honkaku, but now I want to find, in a sense, traditional Japanese mysteries, if there is something like that.
I've read the 11th, but hopefully not the last, Penric & Desdemona story by Lois McMaster Bujold. I would welcome more, at least another novel to wrap things up.
Cześć!
Jeśli ktoś jest zainteresowany klasycznymi szyframi, to pragnę poinformować, że właśnie do księgarń trafia moja nowa książka poświęcona ukrywaniu wiadomości. Pozycja napisana najprościej jak się da, z zadaniami - myślę, że to fajny sposób na rozpoczęcie przygody z kryptologią :) Więcej o książce na stronie wydawcy:
Once again Ralphy and his friend Jackson Johnson team up to help children understand their feelings. Today is the first day of school and some of the students do not feel good : some are scared, anxious or sad. The dogs do their best to help the children feel better, offering them advice to feel better.
Wild Asses of the Mojave Desert by Lis Anna-Langston
5 ⭐️ for me. So compelling, REALLY entertaining, capturing & engrossing! If you ever want to try a story that makes u feel things & giggle, this is i! the perfect amount of fun sadness and fantasy 🥹 #bookreviews#bookstodon#books#bookblog@bookstodon@bookreviews
Book post!... 'Witchwater' by G. M. Wilson (Robert Hale, 1961).
'The wild black cat streaking over the desolate, frost-bound marshes of Norfolk—is it a stray, or a witch's familiar? A stray, says Inspector Lovick emphatically. But the cat is wearing the same silver collar that Old Mother Daw's cat wore at Witchwater a century ago... '
A child has died and two women have been attacked, and Lovick and John Crawford are on the hunt for a witch.
Small thoughts on the books I've finished during November:
Shadow Prey (John Sandford, 1990): Fun thriller, better than "Rules" in a lot of ways, somewhat problematic in others. The almost "For the Evulz" mentality of the main villain is somewhat underwhelming. Could it be published today? Maybe, with some tweaks, especially regarding Shadow Love.
d. Fast Friend: A tale of loss and coping with it. This time the intermixing of past and present was more effective, in my opinion. What happens to one of the characters made me think of a sci-fi version of dementia.
e. This Tower of Ashes: Another one I didn't really like. The MC is a bit entitled, and the mystery of what actually happened at the end is not really interesting.
f. Night Shift: Showing a sci-fi world from the perspective of a character that finds no wonder or excitement from it, I think it's one of the most interesting stories in this book. If it weren't from some sci-fi machines, it would almost describe any packing/shipping plant.
g. Bitterblooms: This one is also interesting, and (a common sentiment in this collection) also sad. I think the main character is the most fleshed out in the book, by far.
h. Nightflyers: Captivating read. At first I thought the theme was going to be something related to voyeurism, since it paid a lot of attention to how the characters were being watched all the time. I was a bit surprised when it turned into horror/mystery. The characters were well-defined. I felt like the ending didn't really hit the mark, though. The truth about the volcryn felt rushed.