Tiny Little Meetup! And, What Are You Reading?

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Months ago, in the Conspiracy Room chats, semperlego and I discovered that we live relatively close to one another. We've met several times since then at this lovely restaurant/bakery/coffee shop that has a beautiful outdoor seating area. in May, Semper was off to England and Scotland, and I was bound for Italy. We each had fantastic--and long awaited, many times delayed--vacations and, or course, those vacations involved hunting around for Queen's Thief books. So, when we met last week, we had gifts for one another!



I'm now the proud owner of The Thief with its beautiful new UK cover, and Semper has the gorgeous recent Italian Thief.  And, hey, if you're ever in North Carolina, let me know and maybe we can all chat over a scone and chai latte.

Now, on to recent reading! Tell me what you've been reading lately. Semper and I exchanged the titles of lots of books the other wasn't familiar with. How about you??

Comments

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Here are some things I've been reading lately:

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. After Italy, I watched the movie and read the book. Funny how the two are NOTHING alike but each good in its own way. Ah, how I long for a villa in Tuscany! One that's already renovated, that is.

The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield. I forget if someone in one of the chats recommended this or not, but it was a super-cute, funny British book from the 30s.

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley. I forgot to tell Semper about this but it takes place in Scotland and tells of an archeological dig funded by an eccentric who is determined to discover what happened to the Ninth Roman Legion. Very romance-y but the history made it good.

Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch. Most recent in the Rivers of London series. I liked it but I kind of feel like the series needs to move along toward its epic fight-between-good magic-and-and evil magic conclusion.

[eachase.livejournal.com]

Last month I re-read Cordelia Underwood, or the Marvelous Beginning of the Moosepath League by Van Reid. Charles Dickens + P.G. Wodehouse + Garrison Keillor + 1890s Maine = Van Reid.

Just today I finished The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny, so now I've read through the Chief Inspector Gamache series. At least until the next one is published.

After seeing Megan's posts about CrossingCon, I finally got my hands on some T. Kingfisher. My son and I both enjoyed A Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking and I have some more of her titles on my nightstand.

I've read through #6 (Fatal Enquiry) in the Barker & Llewelyn series by Will Thomas, which I recommend.

When I read Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian, I thought it might be a good choice for some here. The main character comes from a line of stage magicians and has parents who build secret rooms into houses. Amateur sleuth mystery, but with some (lower case) thiefy vibes.

[mander-lee.livejournal.com]

I read a new release called The Darkening by Sunya Mara last month, which I really enjoyed. It's your usual flavour of YA fantasy, but I personally thought it was so well-done, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel next year.

I also read the last book in Intisar Khanani's Dauntless Path series, and it was a wonderful ending to the trilogy. I was a little blindsided by the ending (the romance went in a direction I wasn't prepared for) but overall, I was really happy with the series as a whole.

It's been getting harder and harder for me to find new books to enjoy, so I started doing rereads which is highly unusual for me. First up was The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope, which I know is a favourite in this community as well. It's been about ten years since I first (and last) read it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it a lot more delightful than I remembered. I didn't quite recall Christopher Heron to be such a sass. Also, I had a lot of feeling about Kate and her character arc in the end, and I so so wish the book had gone on a little longer.

Next up, I'm about to reread Sabriel by Garth Nix, and hopefully I will use this opportunity to finally segue to the rest of the Old Kingdom series, which I've never read before.

[semperlego.livejournal.com]

So, I just put a hold on Shadowy Horses--sounds perfect!
Also, I recently finished another recommendation from Checkers: Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier which was great.
I am also loving Will Thomas' Barker and Llewelyn series, just finished Some Danger Involved, and looking forward to #2. A nod to the Librarian for that rec!!
I also listened to Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, which I had been wanting to read for such a long time. I thought it was fantastic to listen to (b/c Steve West!) but such a great story that I ordered the physical copy and can't wait to enjoy it again.
I am also listening to The Lord of Stariel by AJ Lancaster, but had to put it on pause for Sword at Sunset, so the jury is still out on that one.
Thanks for all the great rec's, my TBR list is now back in double digits.