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

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

I forgot to mention, Julia Quinn just posted this about her Bridgerton production....

"What is happening with the Netflix adaptation?

Lots! I promise. Pre-production is moving forward at a spectacular clip. I'm a consultant to the production, and I'm delighted with everything I've seen thus far. I don't have any details to share, but I can tell you this: IT'S HAPPENING, AND IT'S AMAZING."

Also, she will be appearing/book signing in NYC, on July 27th

HappyBookWorm.... I'm the same way, I only discuss politics with a few close friends and family. I'm not on anyone's feed on twitter because of that. I have some very prejudiced and vocal co-workers who are extremely adamant as to where they stand. I don't need the heat so to speak. I tend to take my "politics" as a very personal choice.

As far as reading goes... I listened to American Witch which I loved and also Storm Cursed , which I also loved.

American Witch is an exciting look into a different side of the demenses. I am also encouraged by the potential of these characters. I can't wait for book 2.

Storm Cursed has me all wrapped up in the series again. I didn't dislike the last book, but it was a different take and felt like needed background for some of this book. Sadly, regardless of good writing, transitional books often times are contemptible.

I haven't been able to sit down and read much lately, so I haven't been reading The Palace of Lost Memories.
The premise is that this palace suddenly starts appearing, no one knows anyone in it or who might have worked on it. The was a rift that separated some of the kingdom, so this must have been a part of that. No one leaves, or goes in to this palace. It is written through the eyes of a young woman who assists her Father, a doctor, but who cannot go to school for medicine either.

I'm listening to a stand alone book, (I know how unusual), that I borrowed for free on Audible. Blood of Ambrose . In this imaginary kingdom, a 12 year old "king" is ruled by the ahem, "protector". He, Lathmar the boy king, is of a bloodline from Merlin and has to depend on Merlin's children, (they're hundreds of years old), to keep him alive. I almost dropped the book and cut my losses because in the beginning the king was nothing but a fumbling tongue-tied idiot. It has improved, but I'm afraid that this will be mediocre at best. I'm only half way through, and it has picked up but one of my pet peeves is when the adults have all of these secret plans and the dumb child/king must just go and hide. The Merlin family sister and brother, (Ambrosia, and Morlock), are also assisted by the "son's" apprentice, a dwarf. So far it is kind of rote. We'll see.

I've been listening to a couple of audible short stories. The free Audible originals, (of which you get 2 per month), have been more like short stories, usually they are only a couple of hours. I listened to Black Crow, White Snow. It was so so. The narrator had a Japanese type of accent, but the characterizations weren't very distinctive. The story was OK, but by the end I felt like I had read one of Aesop's fables. I would give it 3
stars. I started American Witch and it had me from the start. I can't wait to continue listening to this.
In between these books I have been listening to the Hangman's Daughter series, I just finished The Poisoned Pilgrim. These are all mysteries some of which are easy to guess all of the culprits, some not so much.
On kindle, I read Death Knell. I am intrigued by this storyline, but I am disappointed that this isn't the conclusion of the series. I thought that I had read that this was going to be a trilogy.
I have started a series by C J Archer, the After the Rift series, book 1 is The Palace of Lost Memories.
I wish that they would upgrade the Goodreads app, to enable the book and cover links when accessing the site on your kindle or phone.

I have been really busy in real life. I have been listening to the Hangman's Daughter series. I'm on the 4th book, The Poisoned Pilgrim . These are set in the mid 16th century, and are a series of, (usually), murders to solve. The father, Jakob Kuisl, (the hangman), his daughter, Magdalena, and the local young doctor, Simon, put their heads together to find the real culprits.
In this era, a hangman is also learned in herbal remedies and medicines. In this series, Jakob is like an alternative to a schooled doctor. His daughter is strong willed, trained as a mid-wife, and almost as knowledgeable about cures and such as her Dad. Also, in this era, a hangman and his family are considered sullied and it is bad luck to look him in the face and you usually only marry another hangman's son or daughter. Unless, of course, you happen to need his medical services. At the end of each book, the author gives you a little sightseeing tour through the towns and sites mentioned in each book.
Upon the recommendations here, I also listened to The Unhoneymooners . What I liked the most was the fact that the H actually appeared genuine and was willing to discuss things as soon as the misunderstandings appeared. Well, almost all of them. The h was a bit neurotic, but their banter was quite good. I liked the way that he used a different name for her and she retaliated with the same. I would give this 4*'s.

I did read a couple of books, Tarian Protector , this is another quick book in her Lion Shifter world. I have noticed a shift in T.S. Joyce's writing. They are exploring more about people with various disabilities and a bit less sex oriented.
I also read the second book featuring the Mederos Sisters, Fog Season . I am really liking this series. It revolves around 2 sisters who each have their abilities, (one is an elemental), and we are starting to see that the other sister has a subtler talent. These books take place in an historical setting, but it is never made quite clear exactly when or where. I can't wait to read the next book.

I thought that the Game of Thrones finale was Just about the only way that they could have ended it. (view spoiler)[There has been a rumor for a long time that Bran would be king. I wasn't surprised, he is a logical choice. A separate North kingdom also makes sense, the Northerners mistrust anything but the North. Like her wolf, Arya is destined to roam,and I like that. Jon! I think that he did get a raw deal, but it seems like he is going to do his own thing anyway. He has always been comfortable North of the wall and who is waiting for him? Tormund! I was upset that Jon didn't hug Ghost when they parted but I was glad to see him greet him when he got to the Wall. I think that Jon will be OK. I like Bran's council, except for maybe Bronn the Conniver. Grey Worm was a disappointment, I know that he lost Missandei, but he went totally off the wall. I'm glad that he won't be lurking around anymore. What happened to the Dothraki? Are they just taking a couple of ships back across the sea? Tyrion and Brienne are both just hanging in the wind. They have important council work, but I can't help feel like they lost so much. There has been so much criticism for the writers, but how else would you end it? You have to tie up the loose ends and give everyone at least a HFN. (hide spoiler)]

I have been really bad at filling in the blanks, but I have a few to add. Good Luck Everyone!! :-)

I decided that I am going to continue with the Hangman's Daughter series. They are currently free on KU for both the kindle edition and the audio. They are sort of like a cross between a Russian fairy tale and a murder mystery. They are set in Germany/Bavaria in the mid 1600's and the lead characters are practical and not lured into superstition. I also think that the narrator, Grover Gardner, does a great job with the German and Latin words. I love to hear a language roll off of a narrators' tongue.

melindeeloo... I agree, I loved Hope for the Best they are the best in audio. I think that this is my favorite audio series, and one of my favorite series in general.

I have been listening to some great books. Two are part of the Audible foreign authors promotion. I listened to An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew also The Hangman's Daughter .

I also listened to the prequel to the Chronicles of St Mary's series, The Very First Damned Thing which I thoroughly enjoyed. Some of the info has either been described in the series and some fills in the blanks. This is the story of Dr Bairstow's efforts to establish the St Mary's crew.

I think that Storm of Locusts will be my next listen.

Lisa... I watched the latest episode and Carol and I were texting back and forth. (view spoiler)[Maybe it is Jaime's destiny to kill Cercei, he is the kingkiller after all. I'm sure that the Hound will take his brother the Mountain down, he has to and the Mountain is a shadow of his former self. I was so mad at Jaime! Poor Brienne. I was shocked when Euron took the dragon down. I thought that Dany was stupid and just being a bitch when she decided that Sansa's idea of war weary soldiers and a rest wasn't possible. The other thing is that since when do you wage war and not spy (hello Varys!!) on your enemy? She might not have lost a dragon if she even waited for Jon to arrive. I wonder if Sansa's uneasyness is a foretelling. Also, sending Ghost to the North isn't a good idea, separating Starks and their wolves never bodes well for them. I think that is why Arya refused Gendry, she roams as her wolf does. If Jaime doesn't kill Cercei, I bet Arya does. I have a terrible feeling that Arya might die in the attempt. I hope that she accesses Cercei like she did the Frey's with another face. In the end I think that Jon will be on the Iron Throne. (hide spoiler)]

HappyBookWorm2020 wrote: "I love Jodi Taylor, will have to read the Chronicles of St. Mary's one day, when I find the ebooks available from a library."


HBW... One of the best things about the St Mary's Chronicles is that Taylor really gives you a perspective about historical events. Granted most are involved in Britain's history, but your vision of events kind of changes, especially regarding battles. I listen to these and they are excellent on audio. I love these characters and the latest book, Hope for the Best was exceptionally great. I loved the ending.

Kristi... Don't you just hate it when the audio books don't come out at the same time as the ebook? Jana DeLeon has to be the worst for that. You wait for ages, sometimes 2 of her books in the same series are published before the audio is out, (she has a couple series going at one time). I am also waiting for the audio for American Witch.

On audio I finished The Burning Issue of the Day. I really love Lady Hardcastle, her companion Flo, and Inspector Sunderland. I love how this series likes to throw in events that were occurring during the time frame of each novel. This time the story involves and happens in 1910 during the Suffragette movement. Because this is book 5 in this series Lady Hardcastle and Flo have a reputation for solving crimes and have been called in to solve the mystery of the arson murder of a local newspaperman. A local young woman has been accused of the murder and because she is a Suffragette this book has lots of references to the movement. There is always some cutting banter between the Lady and Flo. These are excellent on audio.

I also listened to Hope for the Best I love this series and am sad that I am going to have to wait for a long time to get to visit the St Mary's crew again. I also have a the audio version of the short story The Very First Damned Thing This is a prequel to the series involving Dr Bairstow's struggle to set up St Mary's and it's team.

Thanks for all of the tips for cleaning my sister's cottage. I used simple green the first 2 times that we cleaned her floors, then I used one of the enzyme cleaners for the last 2 washings. We moved everything that can be moved to clean under or around it. Who drops half a bottle of maple syrup and doesn't retrieve it from under the fridge? Just wondering!! Her walls have been sealed with Kilz and painted w/regular paint. I hope that the saga ends soon. :-)

Lisa you were right! :-) It was her.

Lisa... spoiler for Game of Thrones (view spoiler)[I took the killing of the Night King as done by Bran. The King picked Arya up by her neck and the knife fell out of her hand and into Bran's hand and he stabbed him. (I'll have to watch again to be sure). What do you say to Death? Not Today!! That got her going, didn't it? I predicted the deaths of Jorah, the sword of light guy, Darious? I thought that Daenerys might lose a dragon, and I thought that Vary's and Grey Worm might die too. It was just a game between my friend and myself. I hope that Sam and Gilly and her baby all survived. I hope that Gendry survived, but then again he might have a claim as the illegitimate son of Baratheon, and they may have killed him too. I knew that the Red Woman, Melisandre would reappear.
There are lots of sentimental scenes.
I loved the whole scene with all of the characters watching Jaime knight Brienne and Tormund's simple statement of "why can't they be knighted"? It was a tear jerker moment for me.
Another sentimental moment was with Sansa and Tyrion, and before that Sansa and Theon.
I was glad that Bran told Theon that he was a good man.
As for the end, whew it's anyone's game to win. I think that there will be a North kingdom and a southern kingdom. Do you think that Daenerys is pregnant?
I hope that Euron burns to death especially because of his treatment of Yara. I hope that the Hound kills his brother the Mountain with fire. I hope that someone kills that evil wizard guy that is Cerci's hand. I hope that Arya kills Cerci, or even Tyrion gets to do it. Anyone else need a bit of killing? I can't wait to see what comes next. (hide spoiler)]

Lisa... Are you caught up on GofT yet. All that I can say is WOW! (And Holy S*%!). Anyone one else have any opinions?

TINNGG & melindeeloo my sister is going through the exact same thing. The last tenant in her small cottage which she rented for less that her mortgage payment, (don't ask), must have left their animals in the house for a very long time while they moved into the house that they recently purchased. She came up to CT from D.C. thinking that all she needed to do was clean up a bit, paint, and clear some things out in the yard. I smelled horrible! We washed the floors, (tile), and steamed them, then washed them again. I have been up there 2 more times to wash the floors and the cabinets. I swear one of the cabinets was used as a litter box. Just awful.

On a much better note, I finished a new to me author and I really enjoyed this book. The Sisters Mederos. I got this book as a Bookbub cheaper priced book, but book #2, Fog Season: A TALE OF PORT SAINT FREY is quite pricey @ $9.99. I found the writing quite good, (I even had to look up a couple of words, LOL). There is a touch of supernatural, the younger sister has an electrical and elemental sort of ability. The Mederos family one of the top 5 merchant/elite families in Port St Frey has been disgraced. Their ships have sunk with no insurance policy and all of their creditors and the ruling government, "The Guild" have thrown their Uncle in jail for not carrying a policy. The 2 young girls have been hidden away in a school for girls where they have been treated horribly and treated worse than servants. Their properties have been sold and after 6 years of court cases, they are reduced to practically nothing. Separately, they seek their own form of retaliation, but later realize that they are both working the elite.

Hope for the Best The latest Chronicle's of St. Mary's book came out on audio yesterday!!! :-)

Kristi congrats on the ARC! Those look like great books. Did you read the first one or did you listen to it? Is it even on audio?

So I finally got into In a Badger Way I continued to read it on the train. I received it as an ARC a couple of days before it's release and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to read it in that short time. I figured that as long as I reviewed it I will fulfill my obligation to review on NetGalley. It took a long time to get into this book and that is quite unusual for a Laurenston book. I am happily near it's conclusion but wow there are a lot of plots and previous characters.

On audio I am listening to the latest Lady Hardcastle novel, The Burning Issue of the Day I love Lady Hardcastle and her tiny, (but mighty), Welsh companion, Flo. These are really well written and great on audio.

Carol wrote: "Vanessa - Can you make the Patricia Briggs signing in NY? I can. I'm so excited!!

Happy Easter Everyone!"
Carol... I'm going to try and make arrangements to get to NYC for the Briggs signing. I had a bit of a snag, my friend was supposed to have a group of us to her house for knitting, (which I don't do) and wine, (which I do, do). But her shoulder surgery was just today scheduled for the 9th, so I'm free on that day. I'm heading to D.C. to meet up w/my sister and then on to N.C. to see Grandma for her birthday, (103). I'm sure that I will have enough time to see if I can come up with decent arrangements and will let you know. Text me! Also, is your daughter interested? Anyone else want to meet up? We've always had fun! :-)

That's great Kristi! I've been doing pretty good myself.

Bump, Bump, Bump.... Let's fill in those blanks!