What can I say? Just lovely.

This book felt slow to me at first, despite opening on Altha on trial for witchcraft and Kate working to escape an abusive relationship. The writing style feels cozy (as do Kate‘s circumstances for a while). However, it picked up toward the end and I was riveted. I loved the way the lives of these three generations of women echo and entangle with each other. I do wish there had been more magic, but it was wielded in a satisfying way. CWs 👇🏻

I got in some extra, unplanned reading time this morning, since Magrat absolutely refused to let me get up.

“Dex had only needed to repair it five times in the [15+] years that it had traveled in their clothes. A reliable device built to last a lifetime, as all computers were.”

Becky Chambers knows how to write a utopia 😅

For most of this book I thought it would be a pick—and maybe it still should be—but I found the last couple chapters disappointing. The first 11 trials are real, riveting historical witchcraft trials, chosen to both be representative of other trials of their time and to illustrate turning points in the history of witch trials. But trial 12 is a fictional trial that represents the horrible treatment of “witches” in southern Africa—couldn‘t she…

Another irritating error. The Wiccan symbol is a pentacle, not a “pentangle”—seriously, how do you study witchcraft and get that wrong? Also, the symbol isn‘t approved for current service members (I don‘t even know whether that‘s a thing). It‘s approved for placement on grave markers of service members, after years of work, which hardly supports her assertion that the US government theoretically allows freedom of religion including witchcraft.

I guess I expected more out of this book—something surprising, different from what Bertha‘s life obviously would have been like before the events of Jane Eyre. And why did we need the Rochester POV sections? To establish him as a huge jerk? We‘re told in those sections that Antoinette is in love with him and I really would have liked to see her fall in love. But I don‘t understand what either of them or Richard got from the marriage. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Successful #fleamarkethaul!

I don‘t think this edition is the same as the one tagged, as there is no author listed.

Hmm… no, it didn‘t. That wasn‘t added to the dollar bill until the 1950s. 🤔

I hate finding errors like this in books. It makes me suspicious of all the research. 🤨

I really enjoyed this book. The worldbuilding is complex and fascinating, and Mahit is a great character. I had some trouble following all the weird Teixcalaani names and wasn‘t always sure I was associating the right character with the right name. The plot was twist after twist and I was just along for the ride!

Fabulous ending to this trilogy! Marske really raises the stakes in multiple ways, and I absolutely love what ends up happening with British magic. Dufay is glorious. And the sex scenes are 🥵🥵🥵

It‘s been a while since I did #bookspin because my brain only had so much room around chemo. But chemo is done now and I‘m having surgery on Monday, so I should have lots of time to read while I recover! (And knit… my surgeon said that knitting is a great recovery activity!) I just need to resist the urge to make a bingo card. I don‘t need more challenges right now!

Not a tough choice for April! The decision between March and April was a little tougher… and I think I‘ll leave the next decision until this one is a little less fresh. #readingbracket2024

It‘s nice to start a weekend trip with a new book!

Add me to the list of those who just couldn‘t bear to stick with a chapter a day! WOW! I pretty much didn‘t see any of that coming, and yet it all made perfect sense. Du Maurier was a master. #PemberLittens #hashtagbrigade

What a gorgeous book, rich with historical detail of Spain under the Inquisition in what I would usually call the Elizabethan era. The characters are equally rich and complex. I adored Luzia, Hualit, and Santángel, came to love Valentina, and feared all the villains. The plot took numerous turns I did not expect. Despite an irritating pet peeve toward the end, Leigh Bardugo remains an autobuy author.

Wow.

I didn‘t know anything about this book going in—I just knew I had to read it since I‘d loved her Winternight trilogy—and I‘m glad, so I won‘t say too much. It‘s about the horrors of war and other horrific things, and of things beyond war. It‘s about love, both family and romantic. It‘s not like the Winternight trilogy at all. I may even recommend it more highly.

Gandalf‘s opinion is not as high, but what does he know? He‘s a cat.

Today‘s lovely #booknlunch—the weather is beautiful!

One for the #PemberLittens and #LitsyCrafters!

Becky Chambers has such a beautiful imagination. I‘m glad she chooses to share it with us.

Lily is a Chinese-American girl growing up in 1950s San Francisco, worrying about friends and Communists, and eventually coming to the realization that she is a lesbian. This book is rich in historical detail and provides a different view of the 1950s than what I usually see. I liked Lily and my heart ached for or leapt with her. I can‘t call this a happy book but it isn‘t too depressing either.

Whew, it was tough narrowing my March reads down to two! I‘m very happy for the bonus slots! #ReadingBracket2024

That is the creepiest book I have read in some time. T. Kingfisher is a genius.

I‘m so glad I read A Haunting on the Hill before reading this, so I can listen to “Hares on the Mountain” (I wasn‘t previously familiar with the song), in particular Fern Maddie‘s version, which Hand references in her author‘s note. I was already super into the song and Fern Maddie‘s music, and it‘s a perfect creepy accompaniment to this delightfully creepy book!

Pretty typical YA fantasy. Gwen goes to a school for magical people descended from mythological warriors and doesn‘t understand why she belongs there, despite her own magic powers. She‘s kind of an idiot who can‘t put two and two together, but it doesn‘t help that people keep telling her she‘s there to learn things and then not even trying to teach her. I liked that her power is psychometry and the development of her friendship with Daphne.

I enjoyed this witchy retelling of Jane Eyre very much. I have some quibbles with the retelling-ness (I didn‘t see why she should have changed Jane‘s pre-Lowood backstory and everything happened too fast) but the story, romance, witchcraft, and twist on what happened with Mr. Rochester‘s previous wife were all very satisfying. I‘ve always wanted a witchy Jane Eyre! I‘ll be on the lookout for more by this author.

Well, that certainly is a story I‘m glad to have finished 😆

Funny, but boring—the funny parts did not advance the plot and dragged on. Evelina is a sweet character, but I really didn‘t understand the attraction the men had for her, or her for Lord Orville. If Jane Austen read this and thought “I can do better,” I can see why! #RandomClassics

What a wonderful book! It‘s like Good Omens meets The Golem and the Jinni, plus labor organizing and gangs… and a whole bunch of queerness. I have a feeling it‘s going to be very difficult to pick a favorite book of my March reads!

These demons seem to be pretty enlightened.

I am very happy with this follow up to one of my favorite books of all time. A playwright, her musician girlfriend, their sound engineer friend, and a washed-up actress get together to rehearse a play in Hill House. Hill House doesn‘t want them there… or maybe it really, really does. There‘s a number of highly satisfying callbacks to the original novel. It‘s not as subtle, but I think it‘s stronger for not trying to precisely emulate the master.

I love the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, but didn‘t care for the other two books they‘ve put out. Still, I wanted to read this book because I adore the character, so finding it at the #littlefreelibrary was perfect!

I‘m really into this book so far, but finding the wide spacing between lines really annoying! Thankfully I didn‘t cancel my ebook hold when I found it in paper at a different library, so if that hold comes in before I‘ve finished the paper book, I can switch.

I‘m sure there is some good stuff in this book but I just can‘t get past her coinage of “resulting” meaning “falling prey to outcome bias.” It makes the book too hard to read.

This book has everything: inspiring introduction, short lesson in embroidery, stitch dictionary, symbol library, brief lesson in color theory and composition, a bunch of project ideas, and a number of patterns. Every page is gorgeously illustrated, almost all with clear photos of actual, stunning embroidery. I am so inspired! This was a library borrow but I am definitely going to buy my own copy to have on hand.

Holly Black has done it again! Not that there was EVER any doubt. I could barely put this down and it was so satisfying. Love Oak and Wren (and Jude and Cardan and all the rest)!

Gah! There‘s a reason I don‘t read thrillers. Too many twists, not enough characterization, I rolled my eyes so many times. And, of course, it leaned heavily on my pet peeve of the character knowing something without revealing it to the reader. I only read this because I like Crime Junkie—I‘ll know better in the future!

I waited to take this picture until I had a different cat in my lap. Magrat was not a fan of being used as a Kindle prop 😹

Very excited about this book!

Another fairly quick choice for #readingbracket2024… Much as I loved Galaxy and it warmed my heart, the long and magical search for Lyra‘s father has a tight grip on me. The Secret Commonwealth might end up grabbing one of the bonus slots, too. In fact, I think the only reason it didn‘t get the top slot is that it ended!

Once again, Becky Chambers manages to make a disaster cozy and sweet. Five people of four different alien species are trapped in a small waystation for several days. They are forced to get to know one another and learn to understand one another‘s species. Despite early prejudices, they all become friends.

Yes, I‘m spending a lot of time in a bathrobe with a cat on my lap lately 😂 Chemo takes it out of you!

Well, if I‘m not allowed to get up, I may as well finish a book!

I enjoyed this, though I didn‘t love it as much as I hoped. It was a fun, pleasant read. It did hit one of my pet peeves a couple times (it seems all the books I‘m reading right now are doing that). I liked all the characters. I will be reading the prequel.

What a marvelous romance!

I‘ve had this new phone for almost 2 months but apparently I‘m still not good at taking screenshots with it 😂 Anyway, I really enjoyed the sequel to The Brilliant Death. Teo and Cielo are wonderful, rich, complex characters—as are most of the minor characters. The worldbuilding is similarly rich and complex, though sometimes that was a drawback as I got confused. I will definitely be continuing to read everything A. R. Capetta publishes.

What a fascinating look at the earliest draft of a beloved novel! This is very different from the eventually published version of The Last Unicorn. The unicorn is basically the same character, and the butterfly appears, plus a few lines are the same, but that‘s about it. A demon accompanies the unicorn for much of her journey, and it just sort of ends—nothing is discovered. The most fascinating part to me is that instead of the Red Bull…

And it‘s illustrated by one of my favorite artists!!! What a great choice.

AUDIBLE GASP. I had no idea this book existed! I‘m so excited! @monalyisha

Stopped by the library today and they had blind dates with books! Of course, I couldn‘t resist! Any guesses before I open it up?