Get Lost in Literature

"They’re drawn to the church, women like dat. Nearly every congregation’s got a couple. Outward observance, inward poison. They say the words, you know ‘Father forgive me, for I have sinned,’ but the Dorothys of this world, they don’t believe they can sin, not really." Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith Strike and Robin are partners at the Detective Agency, and business is booming. They've hired subcontractors to help sort through all the work, and they need the help because they're personal lives are becoming increasingly more complicated. Robin's tied up in a toxic divorce, while Strike's father and ex-girlfriend try to suck the life out of him... And then they get contacted about a 40 year old murder of a doctor, suspected victim of a serial killer, whose body was never recovered. This was the best one yet. The author skipped the usual tedious character introductions and just went directly into storytelling. The creep factor was high and thick with suspense...

  "I edged Hobb away from the side of the road, where a tangle of vines draped over a bare tree like spilled entrails." What Feast at Night by T.Kingfisher We're back for another story of Alex Easton, who is headed to her  family lodge and is in for a surprise. Upon arrival she and Angus find the caretaker Codrin has died in their absence and the town talks of a demon of nightmares that stalks the grounds. T.Kingfisher was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. Now some people like Austin or Dickens, but I hold Poe to be one of the best classic writers of time. It all comes down to atmosphere. A good Gothic Horror should have a setting as ghostly as its monster and as much a character as its hero, and Kingfisher delivers. In the opening pages, it's implied that Alex is a she, which surprised me. (I'd been calling her he, up until she announced that her father had no sons.) She is an interesting character, war heroine, naive skeptic, and altogether force to be reckoned with ...

Book Blogger Hop   Q:  Do you keep an active list of favorite authors—that you would spend your milk money on—to have it when they publish a book? (submitted by Laura @  Laura's Book Binge ) A: Absolutely! If their writing is consistent then I want their book without question. Don't even bother to read the book blurb half the time, why spoil the surprise? John Ajvide Lindqvist, JKRowling, Chris Paolini, to name a few.  What about you? Do you have authors you compulsively read?

Today's topic was listed as Love Freebie   hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl ,  but I couldn't think of anything romantic, so I picked the Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want to Live In . In a book, you can go anywhere, do anything, meet anyone... But not every captivating story has a pleasant setting. It's one thing to imagine a world, it's entirely another to actually go there. 1. Arrakis, from Dune by Frank Herbert.  It's too effing hot! Too much sun, too much sand, too much sweat. If the heat doesn't kill you, the sand-worms might... 2. Purgatory-Golf Course, from I Am Behind You by John Ajvide Lindqvist . It's got never-ending blue skies and green grass, what's not to love? I'm just resistant to the idea of a place with no food, no water, no sun... A place where the sins of your past will haunt you until you bleed. 3. Hollywood & Church of Scientology, from Leah Remini's Troublemaker. These are two locations that actually exist in the ...

  "...the horse is a living organism and a unique individual that can develop only at his own rate. The horse is the clock, and he provides the calendar of progress." Training Strategies for Dressage Riders by Charles de Kunffy I don't know if this book is still in print, but if it is and you are a dressage enthusiast, or even just looking to improve upon your horsemanship skills, this is the book for you. Like many books written by experts in their field, there are some braggy bits in the beginning, but I am awed by how much the author emphasizes having empathy and consideration for the horse. Too many professionals today are viewing the horse as a means to an end, and we need do better by our animals, be better both as riders and as human beings. Some of the information is repetitive, but the best way to learn sometimes is through repetition. Book includes descriptions of basic, but sometimes confused, equestrian terminology like the much sought after "collection....

  "No one cares about the past anymore," he whispered. "They don't see that you can't have a future without a past." -- The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie Thursday Quotables  invented/hosted by  Bookshelf Fantasies . Have you read any good quotes lately?

  "He left Della sitting in the darkness, a little drunk, with nothing else for company but the picture of the dead daughter she had never seen." It was tough to decide where to rate this because parts of this book were incredibly enjoyable and others not so much. Parts I enjoyed: THE WRITING. The writing is impeccable. Any English teacher would wish they wrote so well. The words are a doorway to another world and within minutes I felt like I was off on an adventure in the UK and not sitting home in my rocking chair. THE CRIMES. A crazy man is looking for justice for a child he'd seen murdered. A politician is being blackmailed by a protester, and in response he's looking for dirt on political rivals. Mysterious trespassers are on an estate in the country, but eyewitnesses are unreliable... And let's not forget a murder that looks like a suicide. CHARACTERS. There's plenty of them and they merge seamlessly into this plot. Each one a little nuttier than the las...

Good afternoon! This is my first ever Sunday Post, a weekly blog news meme hosted by  caffeinatedreviewer . I probably don't have enough content to post every Sunday, but I hope if you are following me, you'll appreciate the attempt. It's a beautiful day today, not a cloud in the sky and a sweltering 32 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm about to put on my thermals and go out for some fresh air. If you've been following me you probably know that I started reading Training Strategies for Dressage Riders by  Charles de Kunffy,  like three years ago. I picked it up and put it down every time I needed a break from fiction. I don't really know if it's good to admit it took three years to finish a book, but there it is.  I've had an ambitious start to 2024, reading three books right off the bat, although I'm counting the aforementioned dressage manual as one of the three (is that cheating?). I've also already managed one book this February. So I've got revie...

' "The world changes, Glokta, the world changes. The old order crumbles. Loyalty, duty, pride, honour. Notions that have fallen far from fashion. What has replaced them?" He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, and his lip curled. "Greed..." ' --  Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself So far this has been slow to get into, but dark as advertised. I'm not sure yet, if Glokta is evil or just morally corrupt. I guess I'll find out. What are you reading this week? Thursday Quotables  invented/hosted by  Bookshelf Fantasies .