Vagabond Treehouse (2023) [Beware of Chicken 3 - December 4th] Showing 2,301-2,350 of 5,829

[Brian]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Phil Thron is a great narrator for Space Team... no way I'm doing a re-read, but I'm down if/when Barry writes another book/trilogy... he's been so sidetracked with his JD Kirk mystery writer perso..."

Yes!! Phil Thron is perfect for Space Team. I will def read the next book but I am out for re-read too. They are great books tho so enjoy!!!

[Choko]

I will read them with you, Nirkatze, but think of which series you would like to read first - Space Team or The Dragon Kin series by G. A. Aiken... They are in the same world as The Blacksmith Queen. The first couple are a bit more romantic, but not really that much... Afterwards it's all dysfunction and chaos:)

[Tonari no Emily]

Rooting for you Choko! Never too late to go :D

[Tonari no Emily]

I think I might check out G. A. Aiken too... hopefully it's in the library

[Choko]

Thanks, guys! I love learning, I just don't know how I would do with having a school schedule again.. It has been so long...

Marla Mason 0.4 - Mommy Issues of the Dead... Ok, this short was cute, compared to the previous ones. She is not as casual about murdering folks and the Winter Queen was funny:)))

[Choko]

Marla Mason short - Ill met in Ulthar.... Really liked this one. The concept of her going into this guy's dream and be the villain, in order to make him get back to reality - cool!!!

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "I will read them with you, Nirkatze, but think of which series you would like to read first - Space Team or The Dragon Kin series by G. A. Aiken... They are in the same world as The Blacksmith Quee..."

I don't think I'll read the Dragon Kin series soon--I just wanted to know if it was in the same world, so thank you! The Blacksmith Queen books sounded interesting when you & Iain talked about them. :) I think I'll need space next!

@Emily--yes! Join us! Hoopla & Libby had copies of them for me.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Got up and went to work this morning... all raring to go to give my friend/"boss" (sub-boss, Team Leader, not a true manager, recently tricked into promotion) a piece of my mind about yesterday...

Went to clock in and it said I wasn't on the schedule... remembered it was early April, and I probably had a 3 day weekend scheduled/requested I forgot about... double checked schedule and went home :D

It's like I went in just long enough to give that piece of my mind... oops...

More time not working is always nice... and I'm fully awake (this was actually 2hrs ago, but I usually don't get up until around sunrise on my days off)...

[Tonari no Emily]

I hope you enjoy your unexpected day off, Iain! :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Thanks... I counterbalanced it by finally replacing the wiper blades that were torn up by snow and ice and scraping this winter, and regretted so much...

I spent like 45 minutes to an hour on it, and in the end, I was partially making it harder than it needed to be, and also the included instructions are terrible...

And in the end, I realized I DID have the same blade arms as when I replaced previous blades... thought I might have broken them and replaced them, it felt so different... bad design... youtube tutorial video commenters agreed with me :D

[Choko]

Haha! Iain, you had a day! And it is only starting:)))

Nirkatze, I am sorry you are not enjoying the books as much. As I always say, they are definitely an acquired taste.

When would you like to start Space Team? Don't forget, we have the Ilona Andrews books too:)))

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Thanks... I counterbalanced it by finally replacing the wiper blades that were torn up by snow and ice and scraping this winter, and regretted so much...

I spent like 45 minutes to an hour on it, ..."

I hate replacing those! The instructions are always terrible haha

[Tonari no Emily]

Honestly loving Blacksmith Queen! I didn't really know what to expect, but love all the capable badass women, and the ridiculousness so far xD

[Choko]

Emily, yay!!!! Right?! As I always try to preface when I talk about the series in this world, it is NOT for everyone. It is the reason I rarely recommend books all together. I am a very, very tolerant and eclectic reader, so I tend to like a ton of stuff, even when others don't. So I never do, but this author, in her G. A. Aiken form, is a comfort read for me:) I know, violent and crass, but so relaxing in that you can take that "I feel like kicking ass and taking names" mood out to play way:)))

[Choko]

TTNS#9 ... Up to Ch. 13... (view spoiler)[ I feel terrible for Ned. He got a crush on a girl, went on his first date, got a first kiss and now he is blamed for a murder by the whole town, no one wants to have anything to do with him, except his dad, who is awesome, and has no future the way he sees it... Just horrible for an obviously good guy. I am glad he has the cabin to go to, but he is self isolating and this will not do any good for his future... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Haha! Iain, you had a day! And it is only starting:)))

Nirkatze, I am sorry you are not enjoying the books as much. As I always say, they are definitely an acquired taste.

When would you like to..."

Next I tried fixing my recliner again and gave it up as a lost cause... drove all over town to find a new one... the metal underpieces have been deteriorating for awhile... I know how to tighten screws, but with things start breaking off and acting weird, it's dead to me...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Emily, yay!!!! Right?! As I always try to preface when I talk about the series in this world, it is NOT for everyone. It is the reason I rarely recommend books all together. I am a very, very toler..."

Almost done re-reading the 3rd Pride book... still heavy on the sex, but the plot is growing... this is the NASCAR / Dukes of Hazzard one... Sissy Mae Smith and Mitch Shaw and the Tennessee Smithtown... one of the standout plots of the series, for me...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Choko wrote: "Haha! Iain, you had a day! And it is only starting:)))

Nirkatze, I am sorry you are not enjoying the books as much. As I always say, they are definitely an acquired taste.

When wou..."

More to add: now I gotta break in a new recliner ;)

I ended up buying one at Big Lots... only place I could find with a selection, without getting super expensive... in the past I had fair luck with Wal-mart... several years back, I got 1-2 from Sam's Club, but it's been awhile since they've had a recliner I'd buy...

I ended up buying my 2nd/3rd option, since I wasn't willing to have FedEx/UPS just drop a recliner in my driveway (the way they seem to handle deliveries these days)...

Got recliner home, and it seems taller than it did at the store, gotta get used to new seat height/etc... give it a few days/weeks and it'll be like I've had it forever...

I seem to go through a recliner every couple years... I'd try something more expensive if I was sure it would last longer, but things inevitably seem to fall apart these days... mattresses say they're good for 10 years... yea right... more like 3-5 if you're lucky, in my experience... if you have a problem with craters or broken sharp springs in your mattresses...

[Choko]

Exactly! Everything seems to be going to about one very average level of quality, while the prices are all over the place... Nowadays I just assume I am shopping for stuff to last between 3-5 years... Kind of a shame...

[Choko]

TTNS # 9 ... Ch. 37... (view spoiler)[So weird! I was totally expecting the police chief to have killed her... I hope it's not Ned's dad! That would kill me... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

TTNS#9... Ch. 44 (view spoiler)[ Wow! That went totally screwy!!! I figured, eventually, who the killer was, but Ned, just as me, was not prepared at all... He needs to plan better next time around... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Exactly! Everything seems to be going to about one very average level of quality, while the prices are all over the place... Nowadays I just assume I am shopping for stuff to last between 3-5 years..."

My other problem is how every business under the sun is trying to get you to pay a subscription these days... it started with Game Passes in games, and streaming and the like... but now it's growing to Printer Ink, and Apple wants to do it with iPhones... I feel like someday we'll be paying a mattress subscription, or tiered apartment/house furnishings subscription...

I also saw in the news the other day that Vizio (a TV brand) has started overlaying their own splash adds over live TV... used to be it just tried to do that on some proprietary home screen, like that one Kindle model does for ereader ads...

[Choko]

Wow! All those futuristic dystopian movies where everything is all commercials and advertising all the time...

[Choko]

TTNS#9... Finished. Really liked this one. Some things just can't be changed...

[Tonari no Emily]

Ooooh glad to see you like the next TT! Will read tonight after I finish Blacksmith Queen. Which is honestly giving me so much joy. I can definitely see why this is a comfort read for you Choko! I just got to the part (view spoiler)[ where Keely and co meet the Dwarves and I was laughing so hard xD (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Emily, haha! Awesome, right?! The dwarfs are something for sure! That lady dwarf deserves respect! And the elves, which I didn't even know existed in this world until this point, are totally what I think they would be...

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Haha! Iain, you had a day! And it is only starting:)))

Nirkatze, I am sorry you are not enjoying the books as much. As I always say, they are definitely an acquired taste.

When would you like to..."

What? No! I am enjoying it! And by it I mean The Blacksmith Queen. I'm just not ready to dive into another 10+ book series by the same author yet, that's all! The nice two books in this series is much more manageable right now, and I've been missing SF so I'd rather do Space Team next. That's really all!

Blacksmith Queen through Chapter 9. (view spoiler)[I like the witches/seers and their blunt down-to-business attitude.

Beatrix's attitude is worrisome though. Gemma & Keeley's analysis feels very on point--she's too self-centered yet to be a good ruler. Princess first! So maybe the next book will focus on her?

Glad Keeley finally got pointed out as Queen too! Really sucks about all her employees though. >.<

I'm also really enjoying Gemma more since her reveal as a monk. I'm hoping that the book will continue to show more evolution in the sisters' relationship.

Very curious what Beatrix is up to on her walks. (hide spoiler)]

Emily wrote: "Honestly loving Blacksmith Queen! I didn't really know what to expect, but love all the capable badass women, and the ridiculousness so far xD"

Ditto on all of that!

Emily wrote: "Ooooh glad to see you like the next TT! Will read tonight after I finish Blacksmith Queen. Which is honestly giving me so much joy. I can definitely see why this is a comfort read for you Choko! I ..."

I'm in the same boat Emily! Though I'm not up to that part yet. Nice to have it to look forward too! I'm about 41% in.

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Wow! All those futuristic dystopian movies where everything is all commercials and advertising all the time..."

Dittoing all this too. Everything you mentioned Iain is positively terrifying.

I was in a Book Club cycle where we read a few dystopian novels. One of the things that stuck with me was a question path most dystopian stories deal with: how will a dystopian government deal with information? Most do so by restricting and censorship. But some--and I think it was 1984 that did this specifically--took the opposite route, by flooding people with so much information that it was difficult to judge what was true.

Very prophetic.

[Nirkatze]

Blacksmith Queen through Chapter 12 (view spoiler)[Mm, not willing to give Beatrix any benefit of the doubt anymore. I'm hoping her Queenship is a temporary declaration (as Marius's bride) until Keeley kicks her ass to the pavement. She's definitely a clinical psychopath.

I still want to know how she managed to get all this information.

And if Beatrix's calling out all the generals was truly because they were disloyal, or if she was just getting rid of people who could oppose her control of Marius.

Ironically, it looks like Keeley & Gemma didn't have to worry about Beatrix lacking the knowledge of how to rule or the forces to keep her throne. It's the heart that's missing. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Blacksmith Queen chapter 14--great quote:
"Our gods are Math, Science, and Logic."

[Choko]

That was a great scene, with the witches and the head witch. There are so many different religious sects, it's kind of hard to keep up with all of them...

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "That was a great scene, with the witches and the head witch. There are so many different religious sects, it's kind of hard to keep up with all of them..."

Up to Chapter 15--very refreshing twist (view spoiler)[that there really was no prophecy. At least, I think that's what the scene revealed. So, what's going to persuade Keeley to become queen now? (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

I think her driving force will be her sister's actions... She either has to get to her and help her, or take her down...

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "I think her driving force will be her sister's actions... She either has to get to her and help her, or take her down..."

I can see that, also (view spoiler)[I guess gods stepping in and being like--you should be queen, we like you--helped somewhat.

I still find it refreshing that there's no real prophecy, it's more that the good forces are coming together and saying--hey, you're a good person. You'll do a good job. Better you than me!

Then again, I don't follow details as well on audio, so if I'm wrong let me know! (hide spoiler)]

[Brian]

Anyone know where Soo has been??? She's been quiet

[Nirkatze]

No one has said that they know anything yet, but when someone else asked a few days ago, Iain mentioned that Soo often goes hiking in the spring, and that she's gone quiet before, so hopefully it is good reasons and not scary ones.

I'm looking forward to her getting back though! She is missed.

Blacksmith Queen Chapter 21--OMG, the singing! AAAAAAAH!

[Tonari no Emily]

Nirkatze wrote: "Blacksmith Queen through Chapter 12 Mm, not willing to give Beatrix any benefit of the doubt anymore.er ..."

Heh no kidding. (view spoiler)[ Beatrix would 100% be a serial killer in our world, and a probably very good one. Either that or a ruthless politician 😅

I also like that it wasn't really a prophecy. And yeah it doesn't explain how she could accomplish that.. Gathering info yes, but how? Maybe writing to the right people? But it's not like she was near the center of power so she couldn't like just go and listen what people are talking about. And why would anyone trust her enough to tell her things... Yeah Idk. I do kinda hope we get more info on the in the next one. (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Finished Blacksmith Queen. I rather loved it. Crass, irreverent, and hilarious to me.

Have some hangups plot wise, but I'll get over it (view spoiler)[ Mostly due to how Beatrix got into position in the first place.
Also, it seemed Keeley accepted her Queenship pretty quickly.. felt slightly forced to me? (hide spoiler)]

But the characters were fun and I liked the small romance. Also (view spoiler)[ it is SUPER awkward listening to a spicy scene in public omg 😳
Besides that I liked that the sex scene wasn't too long with weird descriptions LOL

Although..... I do have questions how sex works between a centaur and a human.. I know he wasn't in his true form, but I didn't know they could do it in their human form... So many anatomy questions lol (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Nirkatze wrote: "No one has said that they know anything yet, but when someone else asked a few days ago, Iain mentioned that Soo often goes hiking in the spring, and that she's gone quiet before, so hopefully it i..."

Basically my reaction too!

[Tonari no Emily]

TTNS through Chapter 17.
Okay I have some thoughts!
(view spoiler)[ Reading how they were trying to get Ned to confess for the murder seriously was making me so angry! Police use that to this day still to get innocent people to confess to crimes they don't commit.. I'm not sure the statistics on this one, but fortunately it's gotten better with recorded interrogations. Also they never tell you, especially when you're not technically arrested, that you should have a lawyer present when questioned in any way. I was so worried for a moment that they'd get Ned to slip up and say something he didn't do, but he was saved by his dad! I was seriously relieved at that point.

Also, while Ned technically committed suicide, it was after a life lived. He didn't seem upset with how his life went... The rules of resets continue to elude me haha

However, after his reset, I really really wanna know "whodunnit" so I hope Ned figures that out in this next life! (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Emily wrote: "Finished Blacksmith Queen. I rather loved it. Crass, irreverent, and hilarious to me..."

Told ya... and some narrators REALLY get into the moaning, too...

Speaking of weird word choices, I've had discussions about this in some online forums... some of the worst offenders I remember...

(view spoiler)[

"Velvet Helmet" -- Christine Feehan in her Dark series, I think... this was someone else's impetus for discussion... the rest are ones I remember bringing up from my own reading...

"frothing" -- Lora Leigh in Tempting the Beast... so much frothing... good way to make sex scene gross...

"cucumbery" -- Carolyn Crane in Mind Games, as an anatomical adjective...

I'm also probably forgetting tons of descriptions that defy biology or knowledge of how the body works, but I didn't really keep track of those... (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

TTNS through Chapter 30 (view spoiler)[ I think in the back of my mind Deacon was the only person we met that made sense for the murder... something was a little fishy with him. So it was him or a rando...
Also yeah there was no way Ned would have been able to pin it on Deacon at that point, he looked way too suspicious and Deacon definitely had the edge there. Hope life #3 he can prevent the murder! (hide spoiler)]

[Brian]

I am slumping hard on my books right now. Trying a re-listen to Dean Koontz Nameless short series to revive a bit.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm still "kinda" slumping myself... it's hard for me to completely stop reading, even at my worst... but when I'm only reading 1-3 books a week, instead of 5-15, it's down alot... and when it's super easy to stop reading and listen to something else (music, a TV show on split-monitor, etc)... it's bad :D

And that's me right now... altho TV/movies are only helping so much, as well... I start a ton of stuff and abandon it after a few episodes...

[Julian]

The skyward flight collection released today! Would anyone be interested in doing a BR of them and Cytonic?

[Julian]

SubReach -> ReDawn -> Cytonic -> Evershore

[Choko]

Blacksmith Queen... You guys are hilarious! Emily, so glad you enjoyed it! I think Beatrice had been in communication with the King's mother for a while and since she is very smart and manipulative, the two had been planning this whole coup for a while... The two ladies are all about power and politics...

Nirkatze, those descriptions are horrible! Every time I read those sex scenes, I am amazed at some of the adjectives that are being used:))) Can't think of them off the top of my head, but yeah, I feel you! It totally takes away the sexiness of the moment, because you are like, what??? She didn't just say that!!! Haha!

[Choko]

Emily, TTNS interrogation scene pissed me off too! They were determined to make him guilty, forget about facts or evidence... And he was a kid! A minor! I think nowadays a minor has to have an adult representation with them when being questioned by police. But this was the 50's and things were a bit "simpler"... How those words could be interpreted with a positive and negative connotations...

My thoughts exactly about the sheriff at that point. I actually didn't figure out who the killer was until the conversation between the girl and him...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Blacksmith Queen... You guys are hilarious! Emily, so glad you enjoyed it! I think Beatrice had been in communication with the King's mother for a while and since she is very smart and manipulative..."

There's actually a trilogy of rocker romance books designed to be as crass as possible... right from the cover... once upon a time, I got a kick out them... but I think I abandoned the series somewhere in the middle of book 2 or 3... there might be more now, for all I know...

I also know the author was unhappy that the series made her more money than her serious dolphin fantasy series, or something to that effect... there was a bunch of drama over a blog post, some years ago, to that effect...

[Tonari no Emily]

Choko wrote: "Emily, TTNS interrogation scene pissed me off too! They were determined to make him guilty, forget about facts or evidence... And he was a kid! A minor! I think nowadays a minor has to have an adul..."

Very good point how simpler is not always better!

Finished TTNS (view spoiler)[ When I saw it wasn't Deacon I feel like it took me too long to realize it was his wife! haha

But I rather like that Ned let go, and was able to move on with his life to get out of the cycle. (hide spoiler)]