I liked this a lot. I loved the blend of fantasy/mythology (the Wild Hunt) with history and politics. The characters were well developed. I loved all of the protagonists (though they also sometimes frustrated me! but that‘s part of what made them feel real!). Also, so much queer rep! Sapphic romance! And multiple ace characters! If anything, I think the narrative dragged a bit, especially compared to her first book Sistersong, but a minor quibble.

My reading buddy for the day - Boston, one of the cats I‘m cat sitting. His sister Beatrice is more shy, and while she was happy to get treats, she didn‘t want to hang out. #CatsOfLitsy

Chai latte and an egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit and some reading after visiting a neighbor to meet his cats (I‘m cat sitting for him for the next couple weeks).

“‘I will walk, in that case.‘ Weariness still clings, but Ine straightens his shoulders. ‘Let another ride. I have slept enough.‘”

“‘It‘s fact.‘ Cædwalla‘s shield watches him from its place on the wall. ‘I want Dumnonia, or thought I did, but if this is the price, I have no wish to pay it. The Britons can keep their land and their birthright, and their memories of a king who was clearly a better one than I.‘”

Put my bookmark in. It has a ribbon. My bookmarked book is now a cat toy 😆 Whatever makes April happy #CatsOfLitsy

“Heart thundering in her chest, Æthel stares at him aghast, feeling she might be sick. She had not expected him to agree like that, so readily, as if he could not wait to be rid of her. She opens her mouth, but nothing emerges. He has entirely stripped her of words. So it is in silence that she stumbles out, all thoughts of Britons and wights and heathens gone. Her heart is in pieces . . .”

Usual weekend routine of an egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit, a caramel macchiato, and some reading time at my favorite cafe before going to Petsmart.

“About to follow, Herla stops. What is this? she asks her thumping heart. She is here for one purpose: Gwyn‘s spy. As soon as she finds them and shakes the truth out of them, she will no longer need to run around with mortals. Still she stands there, staring, long after the people return to their tasks and the streets teem again with the bustle of morning.”

This was a good fairy tale, and I enjoyed reading it, but never felt like I fully connected with it. Like, the writing was really good (Beagle can be very poetic at times but very humorous at other moments), but I never quite connected with the characters. Still a pick! Still a fun read! I just think it‘s a book I would‘ve enjoyed more when I was younger.

Second #AuldLangSpine book from @BookmarkTavern complete!

“The studio person started to read aloud something else from Wikipedia and Merritt thought she might excuse herself for a moment, but right then Harper Harper came strolling into the restaurant. She stopped on her way over to greet people at another table, but they saw her. They all saw her. She‘d made her entrance at last.”

Looking for a job this new year? I saw on LinkedIn this morning that Book of the Month is hiring for a freelance crime fiction reader. Thought it might be up the alley of some of the people here. More info: https://bookofthemonth.applytojob.com/apply/job_20241223170632_IGGO5NBCWXCAKBNV

Dentist appointment done and killing time until my haircut. Another #AuldLangSpine title, a caramel brûlée latte, and a tomato mozzarella sandwich.

First book of 2025 and #AuldLangSpine is complete! And what a fantastic way to begin my reading year. I wouldn‘t have heard of this one if not for the list from @BookmarkTavern which is why I like this event. This was lovely - both melancholic and hopeful. I liked the depth of the world building and the development of the relationship between Andres, Renee, and Liora. I thought the end twist was predictable, but made sense. I hope more discover it

New year, new me? Nah
New year, new book? Heck yeah! Starting my first #AuldLangSpine book 📖 with an eggnog latte and grilled cheese

First batch of library holds for #AuldLangSpine have come in! More should come in after the New Year. Also have Elatsoe on my Kindle app. Happy New Year everyone! Hope your 2025 is filled with good books.

“The Widow Botezatu, who had been observing this conversation between the priest and her pet foreigner with poorly hidden glee, was delighted at the prospect of feeding both at once, and readily agreed. We parted from Father Sebastian with a promise to see var in two days, and were finally allowed to leave the church and return to our usual week‘s degeneracy.”

Not yet time for #ALSpine2025 but I‘m getting into the spirit early with the sequel to What Moves the Dead (which both @BookmarkTavern and I had on our lists). Egg and cheese on a salt bagel with a Coke to go with it.

Continuing this book 📖 while enjoying a caramel macchiato and egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit. Then running errands. It‘s a beautiful day here - low 50s and sunny!

Back home after my Christmas travels. April is very happy I‘m back, and I‘m enjoying the snuggles 🥰 #CatsofLitsy

A decently satisfying end to this series, although not nearly as strong as the previous book. As always, Nicola Barber‘s reading on the audiobook was excellent.

Merry Christmas! My family and I exchanged our gifts today because tomorrow we are driving up to visit relatives. My sister got me this book on sandwiches! 🥪 📖 And my mom got me a nice humidifier.

I made mac and cheese for dinner with some spaghetti squash as a side (the squash was from a coworker who loves to garden) and we have an ice cream cake for dessert.

Hope everyone has a happy holiday season!

Mocha and grilled cheese and reading time then off to Petsmart 🐈‍⬛

Because of the hype, I probs wouldn‘t have read this if not for the #ALSpine list from @Lin3han but I am SO GLAD I did! I mean, the component parts aren‘t necessarily original but they are combined so well. I love Violet. And the invisible disability rep was *so* relatable (being annoyed with an uncooperative body, dealing with others‘ ableism and your own internalized ableism, being able to do what other do but with adaptations,etc.). Audio is 💯

It took me a bit to get used to the style of the story and it starts out a bit slow as we learn about the Only People and their lives/culture, but once Young Hunter set out on his journey, I was hooked. I especially loved his relationship with his dogs!

“Reed looked hard at Young Hunter as she spoke those last words and he felt a shiver go down his spine. He understood. He saw who the fire hunters were and the greatness of their danger to all the people. He saw that they were beings to be pitied and feared. He saw too that his own weak seeing was needed now to help these people of the Village Between the Hills, as well as his own Dawn Land People.”

“The dogs looked up at him and then turned to run back in the direction from which they had come. Young Hunter faced the west and began to make his way quickly down the hill, angling toward the headland where his uncle had taken him four autumns before. As he ran, a part of his divided mind retold him that story of the hunter and his dogs. The rhythm of his grandmother‘s voice speaking the tale blended with the soft beat of his running feet.”

“All of the fear that had edged close to him was gone now. One of the dogs in the lean-to behind him stretched its legs, pressing them against Young Hunter‘s back. He would not think of tomorrow now. He would hold the sweetgrass basket close to his face and smell it; he would enjoy the warmth of his fire, and soon, the taste of his food. It would be enough. For now, it would be enough. Tomorrow he would reach the village of the Salmon People.”

The ice from yesterday‘s snow has melted enough for me to get out of the house for bit and enjoy a cappuccino and a cinnamon roll and start a new book 📖 ☕️ Enjoying the book so far, but I‘ve only read the first chapter.

“He built the fire before the sun was rose.”
#FirstLineFriday
@ShyBookOwl

“We have to ask what is lost, who is harmed, and what should be forgotten with the embrace of artificial intelligence in decision making. It is of no collective social benefit to organize information resources on the web through processes that solidify inequality and marginalization - on that point I am hopeful many people will agree.”

Soft pick. It took me awhile to get into this one because I couldn‘t really connect with the characters (in particular Adequin Rake) but switching to audio helped. It‘s a very plot-focused space opera with lots of action, almost like watching a movie or TV series. However, the last 30% were gripping, and it set things up very well for a sequel, which I think could be even better (sort of like how Empire Strikes Back is even better than the OG SW).

Cafe au lait and a little reading time before going to Trader Joe‘s ☕️ 📖 🧛

I‘m really excited about my #AuldLangSpine list from @BookmarkTavern . We both had What Moves the Dead on our list, and two books were already on my TBR (Inheritance of Orquidea Divina and Elatsoe). I really enjoyed Sistersong by Lucy Holland, so I‘m eager to read Song of the Huntress. I‘ll see what else I can easily get from a library - part of why I love this event is finding new books and authors I wouldn‘t have found otherwise!

“”‘I see . . .‘ said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window.”

#FirstLineFriday @ShyBookOwl

Another ✨Inflectra✨ infusion means time for more reading! Time to start one more from the #AuldLangSpine 2024 list from @Lin3han before moving on to the 2025 list from @BookmarkTavern
 @monalyisha

Infusion also happens to be appropriately timed for #IBDAwarenessWeek

Enjoying my usual egg and cheddar with on a cheddar chive biscuit, but with a gingerbread latte and a slice of cheesecake while enjoying the tagged. Grocery shopping after this.

While I was able to guess what the connection between the past and present was and most of the twists, I‘m still giving this a pick because I wanted to see if I was right and ended up reading most of it (like 60% of it) today (split between my cozy coffee shop time this morning and my cozy cat-sitting time this afternoon - that‘s Miss Dahlia Snugglebottoms on my lap #CatsOfLitsy). And I thought the epilogue was perfect.

Wasn‘t originally going to leave my house today, but several days of extra sleep meant I woke up fairly early for a day off (8am!). So I decided to go out for a coffee. Got a cappuccino and a chocolate chip muffin and a seat by the fire. One errand to run after this, but no hurry. Plenty of time to enjoy my cozy spot with my book 📖

All registered for #AuldLangSpine2025! My favorite Litsy event every year! @monalyisha is an amazing matchmaker (definite Librarian Skillz, for sure)!

A blended latte and an egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit with some reading before running errands and getting a haircut 💇 📖

Soft pick for me - an scientific history of how our understanding of gravity has changed from Newton to Einstein to quantum theory to string theory. A little background in physics is helpful, but expertise is not needed (I took an intro level college class in 2007, so…). Some sections dragged a bit (the chapter on tides 🫠), but I thought the last third was a great intro to quantum theory and string theory, which I knew very little about.

I love the overall theme of this YA anthology - that resistance is an everyday act and sometimes just surviving is resistance. And some of the stories were excellent (“As You Were” by Bethany C. Morrow and “Ruth” by Laura Silverman), but the short pieces didn‘t work in the audio format. And while the description mentioned #DisabledAndCute, the disability rep in here basically amounted to a mention of that hashtag in a poem, which was disappointing

I‘ve only followed Travis and Sigi on Instagram for a short time, but was interested in learning more about their story. Turns out this was the perfect post-election read. Travis is candid about his struggles with depression and suicidal ideation, yet his story with Sigi is heartwarming and shows how someone can overcome hardship and how we can make a difference by building community and using our skills and passions for good.

“That evening Bianca, Sigi, Ylva and I all tuned into the evening news. Seeing the man with the parrot, then me on TV was the strangest feeling. Suddenly I felt very self-conscious. I looked nervous, but Sigi couldn‘t have looked more chilled. As I sat on the sofa turning the day over in my mind, I reflected on how far Sigi and I had come. Only four years ago she‘d arrived at our apartment in San Francisco. I was loving life . . .”

There was a (black owned!) bookseller (The Soul Book Nook from Waterloo, IA) at the conference, so I picked up a couple titles. Then I got myself a candle and cute wrapping paper to treat myself this afternoon.

I‘ve been at a conference the past couple days for women in higher education. It‘s been both a nice distraction and a good reminder of how we can make a difference in our own communities. It ended earlier this afternoon, so I took some time for a cup of cinnamon plum tea and this hopeful book (much of which takes place during the pandemic).

Took the morning off. A little treat and some reading before I have to go into the office.

Had an errand to run, but now that that‘s done, it‘s time for a treat at Panera and some more reading 📖

“‘This isn‘t over yet,‘ Ann said. ‘Merciful moons, I hope that patch holds. Come on.‘”

April had to help me open my #HHS #HauntedHallowSwap package from @Bookwormjillk

Thank you so much, Jill! I had to open the cat toys for April right away 😆 I‘m really looking forward to both of these books, the Pet Sematary bookmark is perfect (one of my favorite of King‘s), but I‘m going to dive into the tea first (love a cup of chai in the morning).

Thank you @wanderinglynn for hosting! Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻 🐈‍⬛