Bones of the Earth by Eliot Pattison

I think I have reviewed earlier books in this series, but that would have been on Booklikes, which by the way I can access again, for what it’s worth.

Tibet mystery

Earlier books almost made me cry. Maybe I have grown used to the heartbreak Tibetans are experiencing or the author has decided to leave Shan in a better place. Because it’s been hinted that this is the last book in the series.

Shan is in a better place in life, finally. The case deals with a huge dam project and a weather sorceror. Ostensibly, he can make it hail (hails as big as fists), killing people, and cause an earthquake.

If this is the last book in the series it’s a good ending.

All books deal with Tibetan religion and culture. It’s fascinating, but it’s almost like fantasy to me.

Shan is a tortured former police inspector from Beijing, sent to a forced labour camp in Tibet for political reasons.

I was once introduced to Tibet, like many Western kids, by Tintin in Tibet, by Hergé.

I was given that album on my fourth birthday and was fascinated. That album was read to shreds, but I still held on to it. Once, much later, on my birthday, again, a friend surprised me with a new copy.

Le prince de Cochinchine by Jean François Parot

It feels a little sad to be reading the last in this series. (The author passed away in 2018.) That means I probably won’t be reading anything else in French until I find something new that I like. So far there’s been lots of action. All these books have been good but this one seems to be one of the best.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

This was a really good mystery. I liked the characters (Matthew and Jen) and the whole story. Some of the characters were women with learning disabilities. As it happens my mother was a special education teacher so I’m quite used to people, mainly kids, with learning disabilities.

The actual book was a pleasant surprise. It’s a hardcover but the price was very reasonable and the cover art is beautiful.

There are maps of the area (in Devon, England) at the beginning and end of the book. Very pretty.

As most mystery readers probably know, Ann Cleeves is behind the successful tv series Vera and Shetland.

I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.

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Murder by Misrule by Anna Castle

Since I still don’t have a computer, this will be brief. I loved this book. It’s well written, historic and a really good mystery. As if that wasn’t enough, I liked most characters. Some are real historic people from 16th century England. There was also a completely unexpected twist towards the end.

Bridgerton, tv series

My sister and I just finished watching Bridgerton. Since I have studied history and read all of Jane Austen’s novels (some several times), I was concerned I’d be too annoyed by the inevitable inaccuracies. Fortunately, I worried needlessly.

Although I’d actually describe the series as fantasy/alternate history, the anachronisms I spotted didn’t bother me. I suppose I was able to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the series.

It was, actually, really fascinating to follow the adventures of the Bridgertons and the Featheringtons on the marriage market. My favorite characters were probably Penelope, Eloise, Benedict and Colin, but they were all to some extent at least, interesting.

Now I’m just waiting for season 2, because I’m assuming there will be one. I’d also love to read the books. Just one thing. I thought I’d never say it, but I was actually quite bored with the sex scenes. Maybe I’m getting old.

I also tried to imagine how it would feel to be one of those young ladies, presumably someone like Penelope or Eloise. I imagine my mom wouldn’t do much in the way of match making and my dad would be downright hopeless. Fortunately, my maternal grandmother and my father’s older sister would most likely have been far better. Sadly, I think my maternal grandfather would most likely not have been around, since people didn’t live very long back then. And my dad had a mean stepmother so who knows if he’d made it long enough to grow up and marry.

Judging by our lack of popularity today, it would probably have been tough going. Virtually empty dance cards…

Since I’m a mother I also imagined what it would be like to try to secure good matches for my children. I came to the conclusion that I would hate to see my daughter married at all in an age of many deaths in child birth. That would leave my son, who might have been quite eligible because of his charm and good looks. LOL. True, though. Since he always prefers older girls he would have had to start looking at the age of 21.

Fortunately, my family weren’t part of the nobility back then and it would have been easier to find a match for my son.

Salvation, tv series from 2017

This was a really good science fiction series. A post graduate student finds out a meteor is heading straight for Earth. He’s able to contact a famous rich tech genius named Darius Tanz. Together they work on trying to save the planet and our civilisation.

A politician and a speech writer get involved in the efforts to save humanity. Dark earthly forces work shainst them.

The student, Liam, meets a science fiction writer and falls in love with her. She, too, gets drawn into the struggle.

The guy playing Darius Tanz is really hot. So is Liam and a DC cop, Alonzo. Actually the politician, Harris, is quite good looking for a politician. During the course of the two seasons of the show, you get to know and care for the characters and their families. The speech writer really is lucky in the guys who falls for her. First Harris. Then Darius and for a short while Alonzo. Jillian, the sf writer is less lucky. Liam who seems so nice at the beginning, turns out to be less so, after a while. Poor Jillian seems to have bad luck in everything.

Wisteria Witches Mysteries, part 2-4

For Christmas I finally got a couple of more books in the series of paranormal mysteries by Angela Pepper. I really love this setting. Wisteria is literally magical, with a population of modern witches. Book 2 is packed with action and so are book 3 and 4. A tiny spoiler: there’s a little more about Zara’s daughter’s missing powers. There’s so much happening that I won’t go into any details. All I’ll say is that all the books are as good as the first one. You’ll also find out more about the town.

Wayfair Witches, by A.A Albright, book 2-4

I just finished reading Bricking It, A Trick For a Treat and Winging It (books 2-4 in the series Wayfair Witches), and like the first book in the series, Bottling It, I loved them. They’re what’s called paranormal mysteries. I really love the main character Wanda and her friends and family and most of all her weredog friend, Max, who’s a vegan, like most weredogs. I’m happy to say that there are more books in the series. Normally, I never really liked long series but in some cases, I’m willing to make an exception.

I really love this ’world’ and also the fact that all the stories are set in Ireland. It’s not really that common, even though I have read a series of Irish mysteries that were really good. I suppose you could describe the Wayfair Witches series as supernatural ’cozies’.

Many people like horror and psychological thrillers. If you do, you might not like this series, but if you like cozies and fantasy (not dark fantasy) I think you might. It looks as if Bottling It is still available as a free download, so you have nothing to lose, if you want to try it.

Christmas presents

I know it’s a bit late, but I just want to say that there will (probably) be reviews of my Christmas books.

And I want to apologize if the posts are looking a bit weird. Posting from the app is new to me, and I might make mistakes.

Another life

A while back I watched Timeless, a science fiction series about time travel. I’m not a fan of the ending, so no review. Recently, I finished season 1 of Another Life, also science fiction. I liked this better than Timeless. Still, the ending was a bit sad.

The series is about a ship and its crew trying to reach an alien race that has left a strange Artefact on Earth. Eric, the ship’s captain’s husband is trying to find and decode a message in the huge object, that looks like a group of huge crystals. He and Niko, the captain, have a daughter, that Eric looks after while his wife is away in space.

What I find interesting about this series isn’t the typical SF content: aliens, a coded message, space travel…

That part’s ok, but what I found more interesting was the crew and their relations. Niko has a very hot holographic AI interface, played by Samuel Anderson (Danny Pink from Doctor Who. Their relationship is very close.

The ship’s doctor is non binary, just like the actor playing them. They (gender neutral pronoun!) later gets (or get?) involved with another crew member. I hope that’s not too much of a spoiler.

Then there’s the ship’s engineer, a pretty little rich girl, who is a bit greedy when it comes to relationships. She falls for two other members of the crew.

My favorite character is William, the AI interface. LOL. He’s cute, apart from the beard and a really nice and interesting character.

The ending makes me glad there will be another season. I like the fact that the series moves at a fast pace. Some series only seem to be about making people watch the commercials, not telling a good story. What I didn’t like was the crew members being barely out of their teens. Their temper tantrums don’t belong on a space ship. Ridiculous. Even Niko who is ten- fifteen years older acts too much like a kid sometimes. Her husband seems a bit naive. Most of the plot points seem a bit old. I guess it’s the interaction between the people I like the most and the alien planets. The scenery seems to work quite well without that many special effects. So, all in all, a pretty good series. If you like science fiction. Oh, and hot men – or women, if you’re into that.