Nettle & Bone

First Line:

The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones and her hands were full of wires.

* * *

"He made harp pegs of her fingers fair," Marra sang softly, tunelessly, under her breath. "And strung the bones with her golden hair. . . "

The crows called to each other from the trees in solemn voices. She wondered about the harper in the song, and what he had thought when he was building the harp of a dead woman's bones. He was probably the only person in the world who would understand what she was doing.

Assuming he even existed in the first place. And if he did, what kind of life do you lead where you find yourself building a harp out of corpses?

For that matter, what kind of life do you lead where you find yourself building a dog out of bones?

* * *

She scowled. He was a good dog. He had excellent bones and even if she had used too much wire and gotten it a bit muddled around the toes and one of the bones of the tail, she'd think that a decent person would stop and admire the craftsmanship before they screamed and ran away.

"No accounting for taste," she muttered.

* * *

She went to her room and curled into a ball of misery and decided that she would die of a broken heart. Minstrels would write sad songs about how she had turned her face to the wall and died of the false-heartedness of men.

She could not quite make up her mind whether she wanted to be a ghost who would haunt the convent or not. It would be very satisfying to be a sad-eyed, beautiful ghost who drifted through the halls, gazing up at the moon and weeping silently, as a warning to other young women. On the other hand, she was still short and round-faced and sturdy, and there were very few ghost stories about short, sturdy women. Marra had not managed to be pale and willowy and consumptive at any point in eighteen years of life and did not think she could achieve it before she died. Possibly it would be better to just have songs made about her.

* * *

It had occurred to her about an hour earlier that she did not know how the minstrels would find out that she existed in order to write the sad songs in the first place, and her mind was somewhat occupied with this problem. Did you write them letters?

* * *

The flat stones made for uneven footing. She set her feet carefully. If she had to run, she would risk breaking an ankle or worse. They rattled and slid underfoot, talking to each other in stone language, saying all the words they had been saving up until the next time a human walked across them.

* * *

He didn't say anything, but his eyebrows were eloquent.

* * *

Marra jammed her elbow into his side, which was rather like elbowing a stone wall. He grunted, possibly to be polite.

* * *

The other room had two narrow beds with a small table and basin between them and a shuttered window. Marra collapsed onto one with a groan and put her head in her hands.

"Are you all right?" asked Fenris.

"Horrible puppet," she said, "demon chicken, fairy godmother." 

"And it's a fool's errand and we're all going to die," said Fenris. He patted her shoulder. "Still, I have to admit I didn't see the chicken or the puppet coming."

* * *

He looked astonished, as if this was not something he had ever considered, as if the sun had risen in the west and then fallen from the sky.

What Moves the Dead

This is a re-imagined version of Edgar Allen Poe's Fall of the House of Usher by one of my favorite authors, T. Kingfisher.

First Line:

The mushroom's gills were the deep-red color of severed muscle, the almost-violet shade that contrasts so dreadfully with the pale pink of viscera. I had seen it any number of times in dead deer and dying soldiers, but it startled me to see it here.

Favorite Parts:

It is a cliche to say that a building's windows look like eyes because humans will find faces in anything and of course the windows would be the eyes. The house of Usher had dozens of eyes, so either it was a great many faces lined up together or it was the face of some creature belonging to a different order of life - a spider, perhaps, with rows of eyes along its head.

* * *

Given that lack of imagination, perhaps you will forgive me when I say that the whole place felt like a hangover.

* * *

Granted, the plants all looked dead or dying. Granted, the windows of the house stared down like eye sockets in a row of skulls, yes, but so what? Actual rows of skulls wouldn't affect me so strongly. I knew a collector in Paris...well, never mind the details. He was the gentlest of souls, though he did collect rather odd things. But he used to put festive hats on his skulls depending on the season, and they all looked rather jolly.

Usher's house was going to require more than festive hats.

* * *

Very few ancient crypts have plump shepherdesses and gamboling sheep on the walls. I consider this an oversight.

* * *

Sometimes it's hard to know if someone is insulting or just an American.

* * *

Roderick started in with a story of a fellow we served with who was shot in the family jewels and went on to have three children. It's a good story. Denton winced in the appropriate places and we drank and sat by the fire and told war stories as if everything was completely normal and no one in the house was dying.

* * *

"They say mushrooms spring up where the Devil walks," said Angus sourly. "And where fairies dance."

"Do you think they ever get the two confused? The Devil shows up to a fairy ball, or finds himself mobbed with elven ingenues?"

He gave me a look from under his eyebrows. "You shouldn't joke about fairies. Sir."

"Oh, very well. As long as I can still joke about the Devil."

* * *

I had passed through the village, but hadn't thought much about it. It didn't look bad. It didn't look good. It was a village. It looked like every other small village in Ruravia, which also look pretty much like every small village in Gallacia, although they carve flowers on their shutters here and we carve turnips. (That is a general we. I have never carved a turnip in my life.)

The Queen's Rising Duology

When I met Rebecca Ross at a book event, she was promoting her newest book, but I decided to read her first series first. It was a fantastic sweet little fantasy.

Opening:

Magnalia House was the sort of establishment where only wealthy, talented girls mastered their passion. It wasn't designed for girls who were lacking, for girls who were illegitimate daughters, and certainly not for girls who defied kings. I, of course, happen to be all three of those things.

* * * * *

It was nice to read a set of books that was already finished, and I didn't have to wait at all to see what happens to the characters next.

The Oracle of Maracoor

This is the second book in the trilogy about Elphaba's granddaughter, Rain.

When I saw it on the new releases bookshelf at the library, I grabbed it.

The beginning of the book is a little bit different from most books.

The first chapter is only one page long, and it reads something like poetry.

Same with the second chapter.

It's not until you get to the third chapter that the novel begins to read like a traditional book of fiction.

I kind of really dig that.

The third book about Rain is going to be called The Witch of Maracoor.

Book of Night

Opening lines:

Any child can be chased by their shadow. All they need to do is run straight towards the sun on a lazy afternoon. As long as they keep moving to chase it, but no matter how fast their chubby legs pump, their shadow will always be a little bit out of reach.

Not so with this child.

* * * * * *

This is the second book I have read recently that began with musings about shadows. Camp Damascus also began with a bit about shadows, but the book was about something else.

This book was about using shadows to do magic, and it was fantastic. I loved the main character, who couldn't help but get herself into trouble. There is going to be a second book, and when it comes out, I will definitely read it. 

Thornhedge

This cute little book was written by one of my favorite authors, and I didn't even know it.

When the boys were younger, I used to read them the Dragon Breath series by Ursula Vernon.

When she writes adult books, she uses the pen name T. Kingfisher.

Opening line:

In the early days, the wall of thorns had been distressingly obvious.

This is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, and it is excellent. 

The main character is a little fairy that can turn into a frog. 

The Shadow of Perseus

This book retells the myth of Perseus, from the point of view of Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda, and it removes the mythological elements of the story, which Perseus then reinserts himself.

History, and mythology, apparently, is written by the victor, after all.

Opening Line:

"Danae had a spring in her step as she made the steep ascent to the temple."

The first section is told from Danae's perspective.

The second section is told from Medusa's point of view.

It begins:

"In the low light of early evening the serpent crown gleamed. Medusa turned it in her hand, watching as her torch brought the writhing creatures alive, golden bodies entwined, shining heads alert. She could almost hear them hiss."

Star Bringer

This book is told from a lot of different perspectives, so here are the first lines from the first chapters told by my favorite characters:

Kalinda, Crown Princess of the Nine Planets

"That's it. Your privileges as companion-in-waiting have been officially revoked."

Rain, High Priestess of the Sisterhood of the Light

"Oh, Merrick, look. There she is. She's so perfect. She looks just like a ..." My mind goes blank, the way it does when I'm excited. Thankfully, that doesn't happen very often: the blankness or the excitement.

***

"I think the word you're looking for is 'princess,' High Priestess." Merrick's tone is dry, but then, it's always dry.

Ian

The princess is staring at the spot where my hand touches her bare arm like I'm committing some sort of sacrilege.

Maybe I am.

How the hell would I know? Fucking etiquette lessons weren't on the agenda where I grew up.

Fourth Wing

This book is an instant favorite.

Opening line:

"Conscription Day is always the deadliest."

There are dragons!

The sequel, Iron Flame is coming out on November 7th.

The Foxglove King

Lore is an awesome character, and I am looking forward to reading the next book when it comes out.

Camp Damascus

 This little book is brilliant...

...and horrifyingly scary.

Book Blurb:

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

And they’ll scare you straight to hell.

This Series is Great

 ...and I'm really looking forward to reading more of these books.  There are more in the works and a few more related books that I need to find. 

American Gods

Connor had to read some books over the summer to prepare for his Theory of Knowledge class this fall. 

Basically, his teachers just prepared a list of the books that they should be aware of in order to have intelligent discussions. There were no assignments other than reading the books.

He selected a few from the list, and I ordered them for him. He chose The Scarlet Letter, The Jungle, Brave New World, and American Gods.

I decided to read American Gods, too, because I love Neil Gaiman.

Opening line:

Shadow had done three years in prison.

I am thinking of watching the TV adaptation, but I'm still catching up on The Sandman. 

Crescent City

I read all of Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and I really liked them. 

My favorite books are A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin.

So, I decided to go ahead and read these books, too.

I understand why the second book ended the way it did, I really, honestly do, but I don't like the fact that I have to wait until January 2024 for the conclusion of this trilogy.

I have actually lost sleep over where the characters ended up at the end of House of Sky and Breath.

If you want to spare yourself a similar fate, wait until January 30, 2024, when House of Flame and Shadow will be published.

Author Event - Chloe Gong & Rebecca Ross

Last night, I went to an event with my friend and her daughter. Her daughter always finds out about the coolest author events, and this time they were kind enough to invite me to tag along.

So, we went out for pizza and lasagna at an Italian restaurant, and then we went to a rec center where Rebecca Ross, another author who lives somewhere nearby in Georgia, acted as a talk show host, and interviewed Chloe Gong about her new release.

Then, we got a chance to briefly meet Chloe and have her sign our books.

She drew little cats on all the books, because one of the characters in the story has a cat that she based on her own beloved pet.

I'm really looking forward to reading this book, and I have ordered lots of other books by both Chloe Gong and Rebecca Ross from the library.

Spells for Forgetting

This book was fantastic. 

I started to get an inkling about what really happened, but I wasn't sure until the very end what actually had happened. 

It's a non-linear story, and we travel back and forth through time as we piece together parts of the mystery.

It was really well done.

Opening lines:

"There were tales that only the island knew. Ones that had never been told. I knew, because I was one of them."

Dark Earth

This book was very clever.

The historical tie-ins were cleverly done.

The women were clever. 

If I had to describe it in a single word, that would be it. Clever.

* * *

Opening Line:

Isla and Blue are sitting on the mound watching the river creep up on the wrecks and over the black stubs of the old jetties out on the mudflats, waiting for Father to finish his work in the forge. 

* * * 

Isla is such a wonderful name. My grandmother had a sister named Isla.

The Celestial Kingdom Duology

I found two beautiful books based on Chinese mythology, and they might be my new favorite books.

I have taught the story of Houyi and the ten suns to kids in China over and over and over, as well as the story of Chang'e and the Mid-Autumn Festival, but this version was amazing. The version I knew was hardly more than the basic beginning, middle, and end of the story. 

Here is the opening of the first book:

"There are many legends about my mother. Some say she betrayed her husband, a great mortal warrior, stealing his Elixir of Immortality to become a goddess. Others depict her as an innocent victim who swallowed the elixir while trying to save it from thieves. Whichever story you believe, my mother, Chang'e, became immortal. As did I."

Many of the little girls in China that I have taught prefer the version of the story where Chang'e took the elixir so that an evil sorcerer couldn't have it. She did it to save the world.

Circe

This book was lovely. I finished it last night.

The ending was perfect.

I like maps at the beginning of books just about as much as I like collecting interesting first lines.

The first line of this book:

When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.

What was she?

A witch!

The House is on Fire

I started this book yesterday, and while I could have finished it last night, I decided to go to sleep at a reasonable hour and finish reading it in the morning.

It was fantastic.

It was inspired by the very real 1811 Richmond Theater Fire, and many of the facts in the book are accurate and true.

The book tells the story of four people on the night of the fire in turn, and each chapter moves their story on little by little from the fire on Thursday night to the massive city-wide funeral on Sunday.

So we learn about the lives of four people over the course of four days, but that is definitely an oversimplification. A lot happens.