Qyburn & SerHarys are promoted
To deal w/Stannis they need a fleet, but need coin. So withhold payment to the Iron Bank of Braavos
She delays punishing Freys for the Red Wedding
She swears revenge on Sansa &continues that Arya is with the Boltons,”if the North must have a Stark we will give them one”&they plot against Lord Commander Snow
Osney Kettleblack will be useful to resolve 2 problems if he deflowers Margaery & is sent to the Wall..

The beginning (&ending!) were very strong. Alejandra dealing with obvious PPD/PPA (& likely Generalized Anxiety & Religious Trauma) +the drudgery of giving up her goals to move across the country with her narcissistic husband &their 3 kids +a creature that‘s threatened her.
We also see how her ancestors were affected by this literal generational curse. Some POVs were intriguing, but I found they pulled away from the story rather than added to it.

As the procession departs, Jaime & Kevan have a confrontation then he picks at Lancel seeking out of Tyrion‘s words were true, he tells himself again that Tyrion was lying.
Lollys named her baby Tyrion. Cersei & Lady Merryweather joke &plot, having come to an understanding w/Margaery‘s spy. Cersei has no use for Kevan, she has a plan for the Boltons to handle the North. They bicker over who will be the next Hand & she throws her wine at him

Happy Pub Day for this Piper CJ novel!
1 of the only times an author on booksta hooked me with their pitch (or maybe the teal sprayed edges)
& the rest of them are a Savers haul, found some goodies, it seemed pretty picked over today

Sam, Gilly & Maester Aemon set sail. The ship will take them as far as Braavos. Sam is seasick and anxious, Gilly is upset-Sam thinks the sea scares her-& the baby is having a hard time. The Maester remembers his last trip past & imagines the sights. Dareon, now a recruiter, is faring the best.
They hit a storm &the mood of the crew get worse, some blame Gilly.
The Maester knows the reason for Gilly‘s sadness, her baby is back at the Wall….

Audiobooking this months #losersclub @BarkingMadRead
& Enjoying the gorgeous weather 😍

Brienne trains Podrick. They run across 1 of Lord Tarly‘s captains, the soldiers are rebuilding Maidenpool while Lord Tarly is in the market dispensing justice
She‘s forced to confess her mission to him, he tells her of Lysa‘s death. With that, she thinks the Vale isno longer Sansa‘s place of refuge
She talks to Nimble Dick who tells how he helped frightened fool with 2 girls. She hopes it‘s Sansa and Arya. He promises to take her to the smugglers

Loved this! It wasn‘t as fluffy as I expected, there are some heavier moments.
Rory goes to stay with her single, very pregnant sister when she‘s attacked by an animal
The horror of Rory‘s transformation vs the general body horror of being a woman, brings up feelings of the past when her body didn‘t feel like it belonged to her
The trope of women having to become monsters to take back their power makes an appearance but it doesn‘t stop there

Arys Oakheart has forgone his white cloak to avoid attention. Things are well between Myrcella &Trystane but he keeps her guarded by men they brought from KingsLanding. Doran Martell tells him that Myrcella is in danger from Dornishmen trying to start war.
His lover Princess Arianne -Doran‘s daughter-says Myrcella is more fit to rule than Tommen. She divulges that they have moved Myrcella to hide her from those that would crown her, not hurt her.

The series as a whole was really good & I liked this installment. Excited that there should be more in the near future, but this was a very optimistic point to leave offf for now.
Murderbot is dealing with (redacted) but has people -& constructs that are understanding. & while it has has learned how to better relate to others -through recent interactions but mostly from media, sometimes sentience sucks.

Jaime‘s search through the tunnels did not reveal Tyrion & Varys whereabouts. He warns that the Wildfire reserves are a danger.
This wedding is much more modest. Margaery wears the same wedding dress she wore to marry Joffrey. Cersei wears mourning clothes & seethes at how soon this is.
Ser Kevan discusses Lord Beric hanging the Freys, hears that the Hound joined him
Lady Merryweather tells Cersei her maid is a spy
She burns the Tower of The Hand

Asha Greyjoy has her doubts about the nature of her father‘s death. Her mother is like a ghost in her grief, & she must tell her that Theon is dead as well
She goes to see her nuncle who tells her about the kingsmoot. He tells her not to go, that she will not be chosen.
Tristifer tells her that it will be dangerous there, he wants to marry her & have a dozen sons. He thought she would wait for him, when he presses her she holds him at knifepoint.

A little bit torn on the conclusion to the series… the extra POVs that were added in Game of Gods join Hades x Persephone here…
With the series St Clair did really well with incorporating the source material, making it modern & adding so much spice without being (too) redundant. But if you are going to give a villain POV.. IMO there should be something that you aren‘t getting from the protags-the other side of the story.

Marillion sings in his cell. Lord Nestor Royce comes to hear what happened to Lysa.
Robert tells the men that Marillion threw Lysa through the Moon Door. Sansa tells the same. Marillion confesses.
She overhears Nestor tell Littlefinger this won‘t be the end of it. Littlefinger names Nestor Keeper of the Gates. He is impressed when Sansa understands why it was done the way it was
He tells her she must be Alayne all the time, even in her own heart

Brienne arrives in Duskendale. She gets her shield painted &stays at an inn while the paint sets,is reminded of the baths at Harrenhal, tries not to think of Jaime there.
It‘s clear Sansa is not in Duskendale. The Lord suggests Dorne, Oldtown, far away. But she think Sansa will go where she has people. To the Wall? Riverrun? The Vale? She gets some other “leads”
She realizes she is being followed by a familiar squire hoping to find Tyrion

Creepy, overly long at parts.
The first part was uncomfortable, hard to get into. But it sets the stage with the political elements & “the disappeared” When Gaspar‘s friend goes missing it leans into the horror… then for a while it is just a sad coming of age story with a cult & different timelines explaining the Order. towards the end, it focussed back to the original elements & I was enthralled BUT
To me the ending fizzled… but was creepy af.

I‘ve only read a few Nora Roberts, but I noticed the was real similar to The Obsession thematically & with how the FMC & love interest interact. There are enough differences but I can see the formula, but she writes 4 books a year I would imagine it would be impossible not to.
Anyway, home improvement inspo, traumatized but coping FMC, lovable side characters & found family are met by Vermont mountains, the FBI & drink recipes you can almost taste

Jaime feels the guilt of his fathers death. He hasn‘t seen Varys since helping Tyrion escape. When he went to question the undergaolers they were all killed by the Kingsguard at Cersei‘s behest.
Cersei comes to see him in The Great Sept & She pleads with him to be Hand & they can rule like King &Queen. He declines.
Still upset with her, but he gives Cersei advice on handling Mace Tyrell, but it means rushing Margaery &Tommens wedding

At the funeral she speaks with Lancel, ill since Blackwater, she regrets sleeping with him &wonders if he had confessed to the septon -about that or Robert‘s wine
The Tyrells try for positions of power, Mace Tyrell wants to be Hand, Cersei thwarts them while keeping the alliance for now
Her Uncle, Ser Kevan will only be Hand if Cersei makes him regent &goes to Casterly Rock. She refuses &he makes threats
Qyburn wants to tend to the Mountain

Arya goes ashore in Braavos. She is intimidated &feeling like a little mouse again. She passes temples of all the gods, new, old & almost forgotten alike. She climbs the stairs of a windowless temple &t he doors are opened for her, inside it is filled with the dead & dying
In the House of Black &White, the temple of the many-faced God, she uses all her aliases before revealing her true identity. The Priest challenges her, asking if she fears death

Happy Indie Bookstore Day!
I snagged 5 used books & 4 New books from 3 stores visited today!
The Left stack is all from Annie‘s book stop, which while lacking ambiance ALWAYS has great books & great deals. Also went to A Great Notion in Auburn MA which is fairly new & Hygge House books in Westborough, MA which just opened at a new location - both were super cute & have goodies from local vendors.

What should I read first?

Jon shows Sam a letter to King Tommen & Sam has trouble keeping Bran‘s secret when Jon recalls Tommen &Bran playing with swords
They debate the War &whether Lannisters will see the Watch as traitors
Gilly had been sent to plead for Mance‘s life, which seems doomed. Gilly is being sent away & Sam with her… & Maester Aemon. They are to go to the Citadel & Sam to become the Maester, the news doesn‘t please Sam as Jon thought it would. Jon orders him.

I can‘t decide if I enjoyed or am frustrated by the way the book leaves certain things open to inference & interpretation.
Looking forward to discussing that ending tomorrow with #hashtagbrigade !!

Brienne searches for Sansa
Ser Creighton offers to travel with her for her protection. She is a lady. Ser Illifer says she is accused of killing Renley. She swears on the Seven she did not harm him & they travel on peacefully
They come upon Ser Shadrich, who also searches for Sansa
Rumors circulate of how Jaime lost his hand & Brienne recalls admiringly his strength in their fight
In the morning she leaves before the others, continuing after Sansa

So I just let the ADHD hyper focus take me away today 😂😅 got pretty far in the Lego house, made all sorts of doodads -my fave is the vacuum
Speaking of, the mental health rep in this book is done really well, not in a way that I liked it but in a way that was realistic. Totally bingeable. I‘m usually such a man-hater but the wife was making me nuts in this one. Would make a good book club book.

Listened to about 1/2 of the tagged book while working on the Sanderson Sisters house this morning

3rd in the series did not disappoint.
The 4 friends each with their own distinct cornerstones, family drama, romance drama, but similar undeveloped prefrontal cortex decision making… It‘s so awkward & dramatic & ✨perfect✨
Each ends on a cliffhanger, this was a big 1
One creepy adult got what was coming to him
I‘ve taken a 6 month break between each book but there‘s plenty of details sprinkled throughout without getting bogged down with history.

Cersei is awoken by guards & she is confronted by tragedy, she is appalled at the way everyone is reacting & she doesn‘t know how to react herself.
Jaime is searches the hidden tunnel, but needs to find keys to a gate where the tunnels converge. Cersei tells Jaime he must be Hand now, he rebuffs her
As her mind reels she notices Varys is absent.
Tyrion is discovered to be missing from his cell

Historical fantasy taking place during the Spanish Inquisition, Luzia‘s heritage makes her as much of a target as her Magic. When she is discovered some find an opportunity to exploit her, while others support her. Religious persecution, classism &sexism influence their responses as they dream of a change of fortune.

I liked this a lot! It is a bit of a slow pace at the start, but very good.

Oberyn‘s children want to avenge him. Doran advises dying in trial by combat is not murder. Where Obara wants to burn Oldtown, Lady Nym wants to bring her sister Tyene & strike Tywin, the Golden Twins & the little King. Tyene has her own plan, to arrange a wedding & crown Myrcella to lure the Lannisters to Dorne

Doran requests they be locked up, their sister Sarella is not in Dorne & he just hopes she is not of the same mind

LOVED THIS!
It‘s probably not one I would have picked up on my own, it‘s very literary & at a glance seems very serious…
But it was so unique, touching & hilarious.
#lmpbc

Aeron Greyjoy is drowning men in the Wyk when he receives news of Balon Greyjoy -his brother‘s death. He returns to the keep where they squabble over who should succeed him, he doesn‘t think Asha or Theon can rule. But Asha is returning to sit on the Seastone Chair regardless. Aeron calls for a kingsmoot -a ceremony from the Old Ways to choose the worthiest king

Pate, a novice of the Citadel, thinks of his love Rosey & waits for the alchemist. Word is traveling of the dragons & beautiful young queen -Not just that, old powers, dark ones

Lazy Leo Tyrell goads Pate about Rosey. The dawn nears. Despondent, he makes for the citadel but the alchemist comes after all.
Pate trades a key stolen from Archmaester Walgrave, asks to see the alchemist‘s face, he is a stranger, just a man, no one. Then Pate collapses

As a whole it is good, exposing the heinous crimes against the Osage, the men who searched for justice. Note about the audio: it is split into 3 parts w/ 3 narrators, the first of which was a bit kindergarten teacher, & did not feel like it fit.

Does anyone else have (a lot) of thought on this “5 star or don‘t even review it” discourse. Usually I was seeing it from indie authors, or self published or a debut novel…. But from the son of Stephen King? A man with a Netflix adaptation & multiple best sellers. Joe… get real. I beg you.
How many times have I stacked a “so-so”? How many times have I read a book my friend DNF‘d? A lot, actually.

Liked it more than Astrid but not as much as Delilah. If it was just the MCs & romance they would be comparable -but Delilah‘s story was also her confronting her past & her found family story. I liked the 2 MCs -BUT Stevie‘s anxiety as a plot device was very inconsistent & it felt like Iris only became a write so AHB could make jokes about blowing your ideas on the 1st book (& Iris is the best actress anyone has ever seen on her first day- what?)

The 3rd book of the Hades Saga was a little bloated with the different perspectives. I get whyyyy because then none of the mysteries would be explained from Touch of Malice… but I expected the explanation in Touch of Chaos, so the ending was more impactful in ToM. It still has a lot of plot for a book with THIS MUCH smut 😂

Wait… why is Iris a writer all of a sudden? I‘m only 10% in & I already know it‘s not going to be as good as Delilah…
😅😩

Re-release of one of my fave series. love the new coverrrrr no more cheesy shirtless “who are these people” cover 😍

Babysitting my friend‘s (bearded) dragon, her name is Benedict Smaug (“Ben” for short) & putting the schedule together - spoilers on next post

Looking back over this one is TOUGH, growth/heartache so much happened & for certain characters it seemed like minimal movement for the whole book -until a sudden twist but some we saw moment by moment. I‘m worried for the characters on the sidelines but I love process.. hero‘s or villains.
I could not do it without #readingwesteros

@Kimberlone @Ruthiella after loving the book I am enjoying the adaptation you recommended (while I do my taxes at almost the last possible moment lmao)

I‘m bummed about the amount of things that got wrapped up in this one, Tremaine family mysteries, Segrado family mysteries, the big conspiracy, new conspiracies, the Russian imperium, love stories, the next generation, new powers, old enemies making cameos… because it means it‘s really over (for now)
Hopefully someday we‘ll get Arabella‘s POV in more than a short story
But I can‘t argue with how Nevada & Catalina‘s stories finished #serieslove2024

Soft pick. Flynn is great at writing characters whose viewpoints resonate with the darkest parts of the human mind. But this one wasn‘t as surprising or compelling as Sharp Objects or Gone Girl.

I had issues with the language/tone used for the POV throughout, but it was entertaining & weird. However the last couple chapters wtf why Stephen.
#losersclub @BarkingMadRead

Epilogue: Merrett Frey reflects on his life & minor role in The Red Wedding while he goes to get Petyr Pjmple back from outlaws. The outlaws turn on him, but ask for info on The Hound. When he doesn‘t have any they start to hang him, he says the murder was his father & Roose Bolton‘s doing. He says he is innocent. The outlaws ask a cloaked woman -a woman he saw dead & thrown to the river…

She builds Winterfell in the snow. Littlefinger helps her &tries for a kiss. Sansa rebukes him &they are interupted by Little Lord Robert. Who starts to knock down the castle. Sansa rips the head off his toy
She worries about Lysa‘s reaction to how she treated Robert, but Lysa saw the kiss
Lysa threatens her with the moon door, Littlefinger stops it. In her madnesses, Lysa starts confessing
But Littlefinger has only loved 1 woman, he consoles her-

Jon gets bashed on the head &has a delirious memory of playing with Robb as children pretending to be knights -where Robb said that Jon couldn‘t be Lord of Winterfell
He wrestles with Stannis‘s offer, considers the life he could make at Winterfell. But then he thinks about eating deer &realizes Ghost is nearby
They go for dinner, Stannis has decreed that no one will eat or leave until the vote is final. Jon is surprised his name is put up…

Janos Slynt tries to flatter Stannis. Stannis rushes the vote for Lord Commander & slanders Slynt in front of the Brothers, but he will not interfere. Stannis wants the castles at the Wall and The Gift
Melisandre claims Stannis is “the prince who was promised.”
Stannis will mine the dragonglass to equip them
Sam goes to the candidates 1 by 1 to see if they would step down in favor of someone worthy, telling each their nemeses would be appointed