Vanessa’s Comments (group member since Jun 15, 2017)

Vanessa’s comments from the Read, Reading, Planning to Read and More group.

I agree with Kristi. I listen to books all of the time. Whether I am at home or at work, (and I don't have to communicate with a partner to test something), I listen all of the time. This app thing is "bugging" me, LOL!! ;-)

If there is a positive, I finished The Jackal. I really loved this book, and I really liked getting to know Darius even if it was 100 years ago.

The main characters are strong and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot more of them in the day to day BDB.

I think Ward is going to introduce us to new "prisoners" and there is also a "species" introduced into Ward's BDB world. There is only a tiny reference, but it is there.

So, if anyone here listens to Audible on their Android phone or device something has happened and the app, it's screwed. I tried to re-install the app and all it does is give me the circle of death and then reverts right back to either the google play store or the main screen of my phone. Funny thing is, it was playing my book this morning and when I went to back up the story 30 seconds to hear what was said again, it stopped working and we were just spinning away. I contacted Audible's online tech support and the conclusion is that they are working on it. There was a recent update, nice job Audible! At least they are consistent, almost every update or change has been terrible. They took an easy app and made it ridiculous. Now when you download a book they break it into 2 parts for you. Which gives you a nice interruption that says that you have concluded the first part of the book and you have to stop and open up the second part. Does anyone really like to have to do that? I remember years back, incredibly large books did that but the chances of coming across a book that large was about once a year. OK done ranting, I really just wanted to warn folks about this.

Good deal LAB... Too bad we couldn't have met Carol. Mystic is only about 20 minutes away from Mohegan Sun.

Have you ever been to any of the "Book Barns"? They are mostly on the CT shore near Niantic.

I read Must Love Hellhounds a few months after it came out. I think that I need to do a re-read. Out of all of the anthology books that I have purchased, I think that that book had the best line-up of authors.

Can't wait to see what you folks think about Emerald Blaze

Should I start a separate discussion?

ETA... Yes Lulu Mystic Pizza was set in Mystic, CT and nearby Stonington and Groton, and Watch Hill, RI. Can you believe it that movie came out in 1988?

Carol wrote: "Thank you Lulu!! We went to Mystic CT for several days. I was never there and it was very nice. Vanessa are you near Mystic?

I'm not reading anything too exciting but I'm eagerly awaiting [bookcov..."

Carol I am about 20-25 minutes away from Mystic, You should have called me I would have gone to visit with you for lunch or something. Surprisingly, my birthday was last month and I went to Mystic with one of my longtime girlfriends. It was a sort of last hurrah, she works @ UCONN and had to go back to work a couple of days later and we thought that we deserved a fun day out. Where did you go? Did you stay there? Where did you eat? What did you think about Mystic? I love going there, my husband and I eat there, (especially off season), quite a bit.

I haven't been able to sit and read much these past few days, but I am about 1/2 way through [book:The Jackal|48863512] and I am loving it. Say what you will but Ward sure can tell a tale.
This story is juxtaposed between the late 19th century (Rhage's story), and present day with The Jackal and a woman named Nix, who is trying to help her sister escape from a "forgotten" glymera prison. She accidentally comes across someone who has escaped from the prison, and she has also lived in the area where the prison has been rumored to be for years. If you have been confined to this prison there is no escape, (collars, so very "Shifter's Unbound-esque"), and the Command is the supreme ruler especially since the glymera was wiped out in the raids a few years before.
I am enjoying the fact that Rhage's story has Darius and the fact that he is starting to build the his/BDB house, (The Jackal is building it for him), and that Darius has this vision for the future BDB where they can all live together and have room for shellans and young. It's interesting this perspective.

On audio, I am listening to Kristen Ashley's The Beginning of Everything I read her other couples series, the Fantasyland series, and I like the chance to see some of those again.

Edited to put in the right name, Rhage not Phury, sorry.

Lisa I was just going to ask you if you were going to read The Jackal because you are my go to person for the BDB. A few of us still read those, but I always remember that you do. The Jackal book just came out on Tuesday and I forgot that I pre-ordered it. Rabbit hole? I'm In!

I am loving the "Ryder" installments. It really is just what I need. Julie & Derek, I hope that it won't be a 5 book process. They need to be a couple, especially because of how they are depicted at this point in their lives.

I finally got to listen to the latest in the St Mary's Chronicles series, Plan for the Worst. I can't tell you all how much better these books are on audio. I never waste the money or credits on her ".5" books (usually the special Christmas unauthorized jump stories), on audio so I read those on kindle. Every time I finish one of these listens I just want to "jump" into another one. The ending left us with a different ongoing problem. These are so rich in history and her imaginings of events are incredible. In this book there are 2 major jumps, one to the "princes in the tower" event and the other to ancient Crete which was destroyed by a tsunami after a volcano eruption 70 miles away. Taylor's descriptions of ancient rites are so realistic. I love it.

I am going to start the Kristen Ashley series, which is free on Audible Escape. The Beginning of Everything

A Big Happy Birthday to Carol!! I hope that your day is a great one! Hugs and Best Wishes! We have got to find a book signing in the city when all of this calms down.

Lisa... I have never seen that flower before. I thought that it was interesting to find it. :-)

For those who read the Veronica Speedwell series... I was thumbing through the White Flower Farm fall bulb catalog and one of the flowers available is a "Veronica" flower and the flower type is a Speedwell. (Like a Viola is a violet). Kinda cool dontcha think? The flower kind of looks like a salvia, long stems with a cone-like flower configuration at the top.

On the reading front, I am listening to Bullets and Beads it's finally out on audio.

Kristi... I've been home with my other shoulder,(rotator cuff surgery), and I'm very glad that I only have 2 shoulders. This has also given me a picture of what retirement might be like. So far it's one project after another, (the latest was clean up from tropical storm Isaias). I am amazed at the lack of reading time, thank goodness for audio books. My husband is 7 years younger than me and I just turned 62 so, I'm thinking that I need to work for 7 more years until my husband can qualify for insurance because I'm not going to work a job just to pay for insurance. Unfortunately, my company doesn't offer insurance unless it is a bargained for part of our contract. There have been 2 buyouts that I qualified for but couldn't take.
I hope that you and your hubby are doing well. Have you taken any motorcycle trips this summer?

I finished Knights Magica This was a great way to probably end this series. All of the odds and ends are wrapped up and the world is safe again, maybe. I really enjoyed this series, (5 books). It is on kindle unlimited and I thought that it was great find.

Speaking of the St Mary's series, Doing Time will be out October 15, 2020.

You can pre-order the annual Christmas jump book, The Ordeal of the Haunted Room


And totally unrelated.....
This popped up when I was doing a search of mattress toppers.

https://smile.amazon.com/Archie-Mcphe...

Something for a little laugh! The reviews are bizarre! :-)

edited to add: the Doing Time Book is the Time Police spin-off.

Vanity & Carol... I was also disturbed/devastated with the whole Rick thing, but I got over it. So many good (and bad), things happen to Jane but the best thing is Bruiser. I think that the short stories help with the healing and the Soulwood series puts a cap on it all. While Rick is a vital part of the Soulwood series, Nell is always the focus. I'm ok with him now, a lot happened to change my mind, but for me, all is well with Jane's life and Nell's and even Rick's.

Good reading LAB! Enjoy! I put in for The Princess Knight. I'm not sure I'll get it though. I posted a review for The Blacksmith Queen & it never got posted, I didn't post it on Goodreads or Amazon so it was lost. I didn't know that until months later. That's happened to me 3 times on NetGalley. Now I post everything everywhere just in case. Up until recently you had to post your review, it didn't automatically post on Goodreads.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAVERLY! How old are you, lol!

We've been without power since yesterday afternoon, which is highly unusual for us considering a couple of public utility folks live in this area. We've lived here for 28 years & we always have been back on within a few hours. I'm surprised at how many trees are down. Connecticut believe it or not is one of the most densely "treed" states. Now all I hear are chainsaws. wood chippers, & generators. Well I guess I had better join the fray, we have 2 big limbs down in our back yard.

HappyBookWorm... If you do venture into the Jane Yellowrock or Soulwood series do know that there are short stories/people that link them and there are short stories that explain many things in the Jane world. The first book starts out a bit slowly and eventually builds up to a very unusual and enthralling world. Most of the shorts are in Hunter's anthologies like Blood in Her Veins: Nineteen Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock

Jane and Nell start their individual series with not a lot of info about who and what they are and as you read their books you and the characters find out bit by bit.

The first Jane Yellowrock book...

Skinwalker

The First Nell, (Soulwood), book...

Blood of the Earth

The first mention of Nell is in a short in Black Water

edited to add: Off the Grid is our into to Nell, which is in Blood in Her Veins: Nineteen Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock

Waverly... I know what you mean. After the last 2 books, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to read. I think that a couple of novellas or short books might do. Many times I jump out of the UF world and go to Historicals or Space, just something totally different.

I really like where she is going with Nell, her sisters, Occam, even Ayatas. I thought that this was such an outstanding book. Hunter's ability to create such an amazing troupe in this series is really top notch. The cohesion and familiar bonds improve each time. I try not to nit pic a story to death and I wonder just what the motivation is regarding some reviews.

Hi all, I hope that everyone had a great weekend.

I finished Spells for the Dead.
Wow, what a journey. There is so much revealed in this book. Per usual, Faith Hunter has her characters disclose and explore their backgrounds. Nell is some sort of Earth being, she can send her magics into the earth to determine what kind of magic is taking place, can heal land from many types of disasters, and grow plants like crazy. A product of a polygamous background/church, Nell has instances where flashbacks both hurt and help her draw strength from. I love Hunter's technique, not ever an info dump as so many authors are want to do, but a gradual "whole" picture that leaves you, the reader, wanting more information. Nell is really finding her way in this Unit Eighteen PsyLED team. She is good at looking at things from a plain folk view. Her ability to draw on that makes her a remarkable interviewer, and she has stated to show her talent for play acting.

In this novel, Rick LaFleur and the new probie, Margot, former FBI agent and newly a were panther, are away on assignment and Ayatas FireWind, (Jane Yellowrock's little brother), head of the whole East Coast PsyLed is in charge. We get a bit of FireWind's background and he and Nell come to a sort of accord.

Last but not least, Nell and Occam's relationship is full on. His devotion and her acceptance and sharing of his love is heartfelt. Throw in her sisters, Mud and Esther and their stories and Nell's life is complicated and somewhat content.

I'm starting to think of Nell and the PsyLed team as one of my top favorite urban fantasy group of characters.

I started reading The Unseen but because it is going to one of a series of stories that end on a cliffhanger, I think that I will wait until they are all out and do a marathon read.

I have started Poison or Protect a spy vs. spy to lovers novella set in Carriger's Parasol Protectorate world. If you haven't read any of her Parasol Protectorate novels, she has a witty and sarcastic way of writing, a fun combo in a Victorian era series. Throw in a touch of steampunk and gadgetry and you have a tricked out universe.

Lisa it sounds like you held her in great regard. I am truly sorry for your loss, expected or no, it's still a sad time. I hope that your family can find a way to commemorate her life when it isn't so close so to speak. I wish your family lots of peace. Sending you hugs! :-)

Thanks for the well wishes!! It's been another scorcher here, luckily there is a little breeze.
Sadly, I have a meeting that we are going to "social distance" for so its off to the meeting for me tonight.

I am reading Spells for the Dead and so far it is excellent. I love Nell's character, and Occam so sweet!

LAB... Score!! Good Deal! Now you can get those signed the next time we catch up with Ilona and Gordon Andrews! ;-)

Happy reading everyone!

Lulu... That's very kind of you to say. My Dad gave me a very sage piece of advice when I graduated from college. He said that to earn money in this world you had to go where the jobs were and do the jobs that they were offering. In his convoluted way he was telling his daughter that to make a "man's" money you had to do a "man's" job. I was a very righteous young lady and felt that I could do anything that I put my mind to. Working outside in New England isn't too bad most of the time, it's those few horribly hot or absolutely freezing ones that make it bad.

On kindle, I'm reading The Unseen and after that I think that I will check out the Thieftaker story in Galactic Stew

OMG... It really is, I loved it. We probably will need to start a spoiler discussion. Yes, my only saving grace lately has been adding covers, LOL!! :-)