Get Lost in Literature

"Fate has already drawn a path beyond this moment..." Brigid Kemmerer can always be trusted when your definition of "light reading" is a page turning fairytale that keeps you up all night long. Welcome back to the lands of Syhl Shallow and Emberfall, where Cursebreakers  trilogy took place. Years after the events of the Cursebreakers, the kingdom that Grey and Lia Mara hoped would unite is falling apart under the threat and fear of the magic that has returned to the land...But this is not their story. This is the story of Callyn, a baker, brave and bold as any soldier, whose distrust of magesmiths and all forms of magic leaves her equally distrustful of strangers. It's the story of Jax, a crippled blacksmith, convinced his fate lies in the forge, under his father's abusive care. And it's the story of Tycho, the King's Courier, who stops at the small town of Briarlock when his horse throws a shoe, in desperate need of a blacksmith. The first thing tha...

The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained  by Colin Dickey "...if you could spin a wild tale with just the right mix of fact and fiction, it would burn itself indelibly in the public's minds..." Colin Dickey, The Unidentified Let me just start by saying I don't believe in Bigfoot. I'm not a Flat-Earther. I don't believe in alien abductions, although I do believe with a universe so vast as the one we have, we probably aren't the only ones living in it. And Area 51? Ok, I admit I can't imagine what they might be doing in there, so hiding a ufo is probably as good a guess as any other, even though I don't think we've been visited... But how would I know? I'm on this side of the security fence. As you may have guessed The Unidentified  is about monsters, alien encounters, and conspiracy theories, and why we feel like we have to believe in them despite there being no scientific evidence to back...

  "Sometimes terrible things happen, and they require terrible choices. In the end I suppose the difference between regretting those choices and finding peace with them is a matter of outcome..." Kate Alice Marshall, A Killing Cold  The story starts with Theo Scott, newly engaged, and her fiancé who is taking her to meet his family at their mountain retreat. But somebody is sending Theo threatening text messages and her soon-to-be-in-laws have secrets they'll do anything to protect. This might have a perfect beginning if, like me, you sometimes want instant gratification. There was no long-winded character intro to open the story, instead KAM throws her readers right into action, beginning with an exciting commute through the mountains. The setting is both idyllic and haunting. Imagine: a beautiful cabin in the woods, surrounded by snow... Romantic solitude. Unless of course you're being stalked, then that quiet wooded landscape becomes a hunting ground for monsters. ...

  "Funny, the way a secret fights to get free. You think you've got them locked up with threats and promises and careful planning, but they'll find their way." Kate Alice Marshall, A Killing Cold A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall  is set to be released February 4, 2025. Quotable Thursday invented/hosted by  Bookshelf Fantasies . On Thursday, share a line or passage from whatever you are reading right now. (Feel free to share in my comments section!) 

  "All the best plans are a bit risky..." Gulo the Savage, ruler of his homeland in the hard and cold North, is searching for a relic known as the Walking Stone, which has been stolen by his brother Askor. The titular character Rakkety Tam and his best friend Wild Doogy Plum are given the task of bringing the stolen royal banner home to the King and Queen in exchange for their freedom. Meanwhile in Redwall Abbey, Sister Armel has had a vision of long dead Martin the Warrior, who tells her to take his sword and deliver it to Tam, who in turn vows to protect the Abbey from those who would threaten it. When I was young, I thought the Novels of Redwall were some of the best advanced-reader children's novels on the market. They have all the hallmarks of a good children's novel. Always including poetry, songs and riddles, Brian Jacques was the master of rhyme. The characters are all talking animals, stereotypically cast again and again in predictable roles: we know mice, s...

Hello and happy Sunday! The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by  Caffeinated Reviewer . I will be posting on the first Sunday of each month. Firstly, I am happy to announce that Spring has finally arrived in my neck of the woods (just in time for Summer). I thought it was going to be cold forever. The sun has come out on multiple occasions and I've even been able to wear a couple of short sleeved Ts. My reading for the month of May was light, both in quantity and subject matter. Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques, a children's novel, was the first book in my hands at the start of May. The last book in my hands during May was  The Unidentified by Colin Dickey. I reviewed the following stories: Spare by Prince Harry The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman , Tony Moore Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey This month I plan to review the following (not necessarily in this order): Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques Dun...