This is a book about manufactured materials, framed around a picture of the author drinking tea on his patio in London, with a view of the Shard in the background. It’s a really great way to a frame a book – you get an incredible number of materials out of that picture, from concrete to […]
Stuff Matters – Mark Miodownik Read More »
The young widow Perle has donated the house where she had lived happily with her husband to the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. She had no need of it – she was also the heiress to one of the foremost weaving families in Shrewsbury, and could live in her family home, away from
The Rose Rent – Ellis Peters Read More »
This novella is set in the world of The Curse of Chalion, where there are five gods. The fifth god – the Bastard – rules over the demons, who can ride along (and sometimes overtake) people. If those people can control the demon, they’re considered sorcerers. Young Penric is on his way to his betrothal
Penric’s Demon – Lois McMaster Bujold Read More »
Mags and Amily are both settling into their new roles, and the King has decided to use their wedding as the kind of party where they can have a lot of diplomatic goings on behind the scenes. Mags and Amily don’t really care – so long as the people that are important to them show
Closer to the Heart – Mercedes Lackey Read More »
Mags is now officially a Herald, which means he can truly begin his work becoming a Herald-Spy. He’s got some ideas around that, which includes rescuing a troop of boys that have been coerced into being thieves and putting them to better use as his eyes and ears around Haven. Where things get a little
Closer to Home – Mercedes Lackey Read More »
It’s funny – the author notes in the acknowledgements that she wasn’t sure a book about counterfeiting was going to be that interesting, but I have not read a book that had me quite on the edge of my seat as this one did in a while. Beka Cooper’s no longer a trainee in the
Bloodhound – Tamora Pierce Read More »
Phelan Cle is back looking for his father. Jonah wanders- looking for lost treasures. He’s even got the Princess Beatrice (youngest daughter of the king) working on the crew that helps him dig things up around the capital city of Cearlu. Phelan’s never known what Jonah’s been searching for. Phelan himself is in his last
The Bards of Bone Plain – Patricia A. McKillip Read More »
This is an omnibus of three books of mostly short stories about Lord Darcy, the chief investigator for Prince Richard, Duke of Normandy, in an alternate world where King Richard the Lion-Heart survived the cross bow attack that killed him in our world. His family is still in charge of an Angevin empire that includes
Lord Darcy – Randall Garrett Read More »
This is the second book in the Annals of the Western Shore. The first was Gifts – featuring Orrec and Gry. They figure heavily into this story as well, but it’s more Memer’s story. Memer is a siege brat in the city of Ansul – daughter of a woman of the city and one of
Voices – Ursula K. Le Guin Read More »
This books falls straight into the wild noble guy marries naive young woman, she’s totally unprepared for society life and hi-jinks ensue trope of Heyer’s. It’s not one of my favorites. When done well (when the heroine is not too naive), it can be amusing, but in this case, the heroine is a little too
Friday’s Child – Georgette Heyer Read More »
