Monday

Monday

Currently reading THE KING'S BISHOP by Candace Robb. 4th of 15 in Owen Archer historical mystery series.

York, 1367. Owen Archer and his old comrade, Ned Townley, are each leading companies of the king's men north of York to Fountains and Rievaulx abbeys respectively, on a mission to win the support of the powerful abbots for William of Wykeham becoming the Bishop of Winchester. But trouble stalks Ned Townley - Sir William of Wyndesore's men at Windsor suspect he killed a page in a jealous rage over his betrothed. Is the rumour true? When Ned and a friar in his party go missing, Owen is drawn into the intrigue surrounding his friend. As further disturbing events occur, Owen uncovers a dangerous, scandalous secret that stretches to the highest level of the court.

Published 1996; 384 pages.

No sprints tonight. 

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

TGIF

Friday

My record has been broken. I hadn't called in personally sick for over four years. I took yesterday off. Because the cold was trying to get me. Over. Four. Years. Record. Broken. 

Mostly, it was because my brain was fogged and headachy. Felt woozy/disconnected. I slept most of the day yesterday. It's progressed to just a runny nose with a little headache. 

Luckily it's soon the weekend so I'm pretty much going to attack the cold while simultaneously doing a lot of sleep. 

I received a hold today that I'll give a try. It's a fantasy by Elizabeth Wheatley. I came across her "book goblin" short vids that are abso-effing-lutely hilarious if you're a reader. I am a reader. So I thought I'd try her writing. 

DAINDRETH'S ASSASSIN by Elizabeth Wheatley. 1st of 5 in 

Magic has two immutable rules—every spell requires a sacrifice and every curse can be broken. Amira Brindonu is a sorceress turned assassin, bound in a curse that forces her to obey her father, even to the point of high treason. When he orders her to kill the future emperor, she fails, but discovers a secret that could bring the whole of the empire to its knees. The archduke is stricken by a curse that could sentence him and his people to damnation, but Amira could be the only key to breaking it. In a desperate last-ditch effort, the archduke takes Amira prisoner and makes a pact to protect her from her curse if she will help free him of his own. As time begins to run out, Amira soon learns that there are enemies that blades can’t touch and there are fates worse than death. Caught in a web of sorcery, intrigue, and her growing feelings for the archduke, the assassin must decide just how much she is willing to give to save the only man she’s ever loved. Every curse can be broken, but can two cursed people save each other?

Published 2021; 283 pages.

So we'll see. 

Sprints tomorrow afternoon. I've got some crochet projects going: a Christmas gift, a wedding gift, a blanket for Steve, a blanket for me. Things will be worked on. Things will be read.

Have a good weekend

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

Only half way

Wednesday

I found one! I found one! I've been looking for my scavenger hunt prompt "Favorite Season" for four weeks. I've skimmed over 50 book summaries. 

Currently reading UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN by Alice K. Boatwright. 1st of 3 in Ellie Kent mystery series.

Ellie has left behind her college teaching job and life in San Francisco to marry a handsome widowed vicar and live in a Cotswold village. At first, she thinks her biggest challenge will be to gain acceptance from the villagers as a foreigner and "incomer." But, when she discovers a dead man in the churchyard, her outsider status leads to her becoming the prime suspect in his murder. To prove her innocence, Ellie finds she must draw on her research skills to unravel a web of decades-old secrets before more people die—and her new life unravels too.

Published 2014; 259 pages.

New plan for the March wedding crochet blanket. Still doing the spiral granny squares. I think I'll do them in the orange and cream.

I don't know yet if I'll do just the two color or do some in the single colors to break it up. But then I'll connect the squares with the blue yarns with the zigzag stitch.

And I could even do one direction in the dark blue and the other connection direction in the teal-ish blue.

No sprints tonight. Steve has the gun range. I'm reading and playing with yarn.

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

I wanna go home!

Tuesday.

I'm still on the hunt for a scavenger hunt read that is "my favorite season" which is Fall. I'm not having very good luck. 

I should be getting some yarn today. What I think I'd like to do this evening is play with the spiral forms for Randee's blanket. I tried one option last night but it wasn't going to work out. 

Sprints tonight.

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

I'm not here

Monday

I finished reading RAVENWOOD by Nathan Lowell. 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it quite a lot but there was some violence against a person that went on a little too long that was not enjoyable to read. I'll definitely continue to read the trilogy. 

Currently reading THE PERSEPHONE CODE by Emma Orchard. 1st in new histmyst series.

1812

Deep below the hills of the Buckinghamshire countryside, the infamous Hellfire Caves house a pleasure palace for the idle rich – a secret society steeped in satanism, opium and debauchery of the highest order. When the club’s warden, Antony Pennington, is brutally murdered, his bastard sister, Dora, must follow the clues to decode who the killer is, aided by an unexpected ally – ex-Army officer, former opium addict and son of a Viscount, Dr Jacob Sandys. As a shadow dogs their every footstep, Dora and Jacob find themselves in the midst of a shocking conspiracy, caught between the legendary Illuminati and the Hell Fire Club. With time running out, they must fight against both the most influential gentleman of the ton – and the undeniable attraction they feel towards each other…

Published 2024; 384 pages.

Also reading THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET. 1st of 4 in Wayfarers scifi series.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain. Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

Published 2014; 423 pages. I'm pretending the aliens aren't aliens. I have a problem reading about them. 

I would like to add a third book, a scavenger hunt book probably for the prompt "favorite season" which is Fall for me. But even with the two I'm reading now, I don't know what I'm really in the mood for. 

Waiting on some yarn so I started to crochet the blanket for me. It can be set aside at any time. The yarn is the same as the wedding bedspread but different color. The color is called Butter Cookie. (doesn't that sound nummy?)

No sprints tonight.

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster 

Not coming out for two days

 TGIF

I got approved (!!!!) for an ARC via Netgalley of THE AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO MURDER by Lauren Willig, Beatriz Williams, & Karen White.

There’s been a sensational murder at historic Castle Kinloch, a gothic fantasy of grey granite on a remote island in the Highlands of Scotland. Literary superstar Brett Saffron Presley has been found dead—under bizarre circumstances—in the castle tower’s book-lined study. Years ago, Presley purchased the castle as a showpiece for his brand and to lure paying guests with a taste for writerly glamour. Now it seems, the castle has done him in…or, possibly, one of the castle’s guests has. Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh, a local with no love for this literary American show-off (or Americans in general), finds himself with the unenviable task of extracting statements from three American lady novelists. The prime suspects are Kat de Noir, a slinky, sexy erotica writer; Cassie Pringle, a Southern mom of six juggling multiple cozy mystery series; and Emma Endicott, a New England blue blood and author of critically acclaimed historical fiction. The women claim to be best friends writing a book a historical novel about the castle’s lurid past and its debauched laird, who himself ended up creatively murdered. But the authors’ stories about how they know Brett Saffron Presley don’t quite line up, and the detective is getting increasingly suspicious. Why did the authors really come to Castle Kinloch? Is the murder of the long-ago laird somehow connected with the playboy author’s unfortunate demise? And what really happened the night of the great Kinloch ceilidh, when Brett Saffron Presley skipped the folk dancing for a rendezvous with death? 

Publishing November 2024; 416 pages.

No sprints tonight. Sprints tomorrow afternoon. Otherwise, just the usual

Have a good weekend

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster 

Let's just move on to the weekend

Thursday

Having a cranky day. See y'all tomorrow.

Sprints tonight.

Have a good day

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster