Before we say goodbye --book 4 of 5 of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold books by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

 Publisher: Hanover Square Press; November 14, 2023

Language: English

Hardcover: 240 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1335009111

5 Stars

 

To be honest, I hesitated on reading this one. I’d read the first three, and I wasn’t sure Kawaguchi could come up with 4 more different stories. I should have known better. Like the previous books, these four stories are charming, heartwarming, and great fun. He has a ‘formula’ for his books, they all, so far at least, have four stories and are in small format (roughly 6.5” x 8.5”), the books are easy to hold while reading in bed, and are just fun! Some of the characters have appeared in earlier stories, and it’s like meeting an old friend by chance again.

 

One of the great things, to me at least, is you do not have to read the books in order. I read the second one first and had no problem reading number one later. Just buy these little books, they are great fun. Honest. Trust me.

 

 To read my reviews on earlier books:

https://lenoragood.blogspot.com/search?q=Toshikazu+Kawaguchi

The Little Sparrow Murders --by Seishi Yokomizo

 Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo (September 3, 2014

Language: English

Paperback: 320 pages

ISBN-13-1782278870

4 Stars

 

This book was a fun who-done-it read. The book takes place in a small village in Japan c. 1955. Thirty years prior, there were some murders in the village that were never solved and Kosuke Kindaichi a detective on vacation, is asked by a friend of his to spend it in the village and see what he can make of it. And more deaths occur in the time he is there. As a mystery it’s pretty good, but as a read about the life in a small village, it’s marvelous. And how the police interview people where manners and ‘caste’ are important in the extreme. Definitely not according to the police procedurals one American/European tv.

 

I’m not sure who did the translation into English. But I found several places where the pronouns were not consistent, and a few other little things that threw me out of the story for just a second or two, but throwing me out of the story didn’t help. 

 

I think this could be called a ‘Japanese cozy’ type murder mystery. It was my bedtime read. No graphic drawn out described in detail murders, hence, no nightmares. If you like Agatha Christie type murder mystery books, try this one. There are Japanese words here and there, but they are explained by context. Just be patient with the translator. 

 

All of It, So Far --poetry by Anita May

 Zeitgeist Press

ISBN: 978-1-940572-54-3

Orders and other information at: www.Zeitgeist-Press.com

85 pages

5 Stars

 

From the first poem, What is the It? which begins, “Some people do it in rhythm, / others do it in rhyme.” to the end of the book, I was hooked. I used it as a bedtime read, what I read before turning out the light. No nightmares riding my skull those nights. 

 

The book has many photo throughout, but it is the words I was most interested in. Invisible Forces closes with this couplet, “I pray I have done all I can for your success, / I am capable of only very simple magic.” Haven’t we all prayed for those we love, sad we only had a very simple magic and needed the help of a Divine?

 

Normally, I will find a couple of poems in a book that I really like, but there are several in this book. Especially Permission to Fail. “Make a way / by going / begin /not knowing /” begins this poem, it ends, “venture / into the unknown / be wrong / honest / imperfect / you have / permission to fail/” I think this poem should be taught in every school. We all need to fail so we can grow. 

 

The final poem is short and contains a great deal of balance, Esse, “And / our lives / were filled /with / Joy / ...Our Sorrow / ...and / balanced / in / reality”

 

This book will happily reside in my bookcase for years, and often taken out and read.

Talking Leaves Scrapbook, poems --by Vivian Mary Carroll

 Publisher: Casa Urraca Press (June 11, 2024)

Paperback: 108 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1956375169

Native American Poetry, Poetry by Women

5 Stars

 

Beginning with the first poem, I was captivated. She gives us a “Haibun for Buffaloes Beneath a Crescent Moon”—a short one paragraph prose poem followed by a haiku. The best history I’ve read of the taking of land by the dominant caste. 

 

Carroll’s poetry covers a lot of territory, and several of the roads, the trips, have also been made by me, and I love reading what she saw, what she wrote of things we both saw, but differently. She saw far more than I. And wrote beautifully about them. 

 

“Cherokee Sevens” is a whole new form to this reviewer. There are seven stanzas, each stanza has seven syllables, each syllable has its own line. A native version of a haiku? 

 

“Spacious Skies” gives us a glimpse of ‘rainy Puyallup’ and the Washington State Fair, and her trip to the Pacific Ocean. I love her descriptions of places I’ve visited often through the years. Her poems take us all over different times and places with a marvelously unique voice of a member of the Cherokee Nation.  

 

A beautiful book not to be missed. It belongs by your bed, or wherever you read. It belongs on your bookshelf. It belongs in your hands as you read and re-read the poems.

Buddha's Cat, poems --by Wayne Lee

 ASIN: B0D6V9SP7Z

Publisher: independently published (June 11, 2024

Paperback: 51 pages

Poetry, Literary Fiction

5 Stars

 

I loved reading this book so much I’ve read it 3 times. There isn’t a poem in this book that will not twist your emotion with humor—or tears. The first poem, Buddha’s Cat, is one such poem. Actually, it’s one of the best explanations of the philosophy of Buddhism I’ve read. I’ve long thought that if reincarnation is true, I want to come back as a spoiled lap cat. Buddha’s Cat showed me where I was wrong—I should want to come back as a bird or a mouse.

 

The poem about the beach dog is wonderful. How this dog lives, and the respect he earns is laugh out loud delightful. If you like cats and dogs, if you’ve ever been owned by one or more, read Buddha’s Cat. Most poems are short, with just a couple being longer. All the poems are worth the read. Honest. Trust me.

LOKA (Book 2 of Allowy Era) --by D. B. Divya

 ASIN: BOBP8B53YN

Publisher: 47North (August 13, 2024

Language: English

File Size: 5238 KB

Print length: 366 pages

Genetic Engineering/Hard Science Fiction

5 Stars

 

I all but inhaled Meru, Book 1, and had pre-ordered Loka before finishing Meru. Give you an idea how much I liked it. I also forgot about it, so I was very surprised when I received a notice that Loka had been delivered. And it wasn’t even my birthday!

 

Divya is one of the best world builders I’ve ever read. And I absolutely love well done worlds. In Meru, we followed Akshaya’s parents. In Loka we follow Akshaya, who was genetically engineered by her mother to live and thrive on Meru. Of course, Akshaya had no say in it, and after living on the Spaceship Loka for all of her young life, she and her mother go to Earth for a while.

 

Akshaya and her heart sibling make the trip together, and have a great adventure. Akshaya wants to be genetically changed so she can live and thrive on Earth. Earth is what she read about, dreamed about, but as she comes of age, she gives much serious thought to her life, where does she really belong? In the end, she makes the adult decision, even though it is very painful, having to chose between Meru and Earth. But, this is fiction, and I am fairly certain Ms. Divya is a bit of a romantic.

 

One of the best coming of age books I’ve read in a long time. 

Murder Undeniable (Book 1 of 4) --by Anita Waller

 ASIN: B09C6LYW2T

Publisher: Bloodhound Books (December 10, 2018)

Language: English

File size: 5307 KB

Print Length: 248 pages

Contemporary British Fiction/Amateur Sleuth Mysteries)

 

All Kat wanted was to become Bishop for her church. Until she met Leon. Now she is both a Bishop and happily married to the man of her dreams, Leon. Leon is a very successful businessman, and owns a series of drug stores. And then, one morning, Kat is with Leon, and they discover two bodies in the alley behind the main pharmacy of Leon’s. One is very dead, the other not quite.

 

Kat checks on the young lady who is in the hospital, as a concerned person, plus as a good Christian. The young lady is called Mouse. They become good friends, and bring in Mouse’s grandmother, and as a trio, they solve the murder and attempted murder, and go into business together as Kat and Mouse, PIs, for at least 3 more books. 

 

Maybe consider this a love child between Midsommer Murders and Vera. A great cozy, but there is a tad more violence than usual, though considerably less than is usual in our murder mysteries. Good wit, acerbic wit, and likable cops. I liked it well enough I just bought books 2, 3, &4!

Memories of the Lost --Barbara O'Neal

 ASIN: B0CQ8AQZJ16

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (July 30,2024)

Language: English

Also available in print

Sibling Fiction/Friendship Fiction/Sisters Fiction

5 Stars

 

Every Barbara O’Neal book I read is better than the one I read before. It’s been a long time since I’ve read the late Maeve Binchy so my comparison may be way off base, but in my mind, O’Neal is Binchy reincarnated. At least, I enjoy O’Neal’s books as much as I did Binchy’s.

 

This story, about a young lady, an artist, Tillie Morrisey who was a single child to her single mom, discovers, once her mother dies, and she’s cleaning out Mom’s house her own death certificate as a young child. 

 

As if that’s not bad enough, just a few days prior, she goes to an art gallery to support her best friend who has his first showing, and while there all but falls into a painting by an unknown artist and is helped by a handsome stranger. 

 

So, we have a mystery, several mysteries. Why did Tillie find her death certificate? She was very much alive and had not been in a fire when she was a child. At least, she didn’t remember it. Who is the handsome Aussie who has entered her life? When she contacts the artist who painted the picture she tried to fall into, she finds out it’s in England.

 

Busy, getting paintings finished and together for her up-coming show, she finds she is getting lost in her paintings and when she returns, she has no memory of painting the changes, but those who have seen them think they might be her best yet.

 

She decides to take a few days to visit England, see if she can find the house in the original painting and instead, she finds the most marvelous answers to all of her mysteries. It’s so nice to read a HEA book where no one dies, where no one resorts to violence. And I really do enjoy a good story, and a Happy Ever After ending.

The Book of Delights --by Ross Gay

 Publisher: Algonquin Books; First Edition (February 12, 2019)

Language: English

Hardcover: 288 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1616207922

Essays (mini), Memoir

5 Stars

 

A friend informed me I really needed to read this book. Since I’d read a couple of Gay’s poems, and as I walked through the bookstore, and this book just happened to fall off a shelf into my hands, I figured it was a sign. I bought the book.

 

There are 102 essayettes, as Gay calls them, in the book. I call them mini essays—some are as short as one paragraph, taking less than half a page, a few are longer, but most are three pages or less. The book is 5” x 7.5” and easy to read. 

 

Gay spent a year writing about things that brought him delight—everything from the taste and texture of a food to sunlight falling through leaves; flowers in a statue’s hand (one of Hoagy Carmichael) to meeting people. This book is a total delight to read. I originally thought I’d read just one or two a night. I finished it in a week. I do most of my reading at night, after I go to bed, and I read this book after I’d read other books, because I knew I’d drift off to sleep with something fun and, well, delightful, to be contemplating as I fell asleep.

 

This a book you will not only enjoy reading, you will enjoy buying copies to give away to friends, or even a stranger you recognize on your commute. 

I Ain't Afraid --by Diane Helentjaris

 Publisher: Alkira Publishing, 1^st edition (Augus 16, 2024

Language: English

Paperback: 316 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1922329707

Biography: Nonfiction

5 Stars

 

Having never heard of Lulu Bell Parr, I found myself unable to put the book down until I finished it. I think she may have out-calamitied Calamity Jane! This woman wasn’t afraid of anything but not having a job! And what a series of jobs she had! And the fact that she died after I was born, and still hadn’t heard of her amazed me because I read anything I could find, even newspapers, about the wild west. Wow! What a life she led. 

 

The photos in the book added a great deal to help visualize who she was. Thank you, Ms. Helentjaris for running away from home as a youngster to take a nap in the graveyard, and really, thank you for coming home, growing up, and writing this book. Thank you for all the research you did, and for bringing all the people back to life!

 

This is not a dry history of date, happening and more of the same. This story reads like a well-done novel—but it isn’t. It’s real. And check out her boots on the cover. I wish I could give it more stars, but 5 is the highest I can go.

Dearly --poems by Margaret Atwood

 Publisher: Ecco (November 2,2021

Language: English

Paperback: 144 pages

ISBN: 978-63032507

5 Stars

 

 

I love Margaret Atwood’s poetry. Oh, maybe not every poem in a book, but I do not dislike any poems by her that I’ve read, and I have, and have read, all her poetry books. 

 

Ms Atwood’s poetry resonates with me, perhaps because we are of an age. I think, should we ever meet, we’d find we have our senses of humor in common.

 

The first poem is “Late Poems” and she had me with her opening lines, “These are the late poems. / Most poems are late / of course: too late,” This first section is about life, and what happens when that life ages, be it feline or blizzard.

 

“Health Class (1953)” had me laughing until I hurt. OMG, I could so relate to that poem. “Girls, girls, girls, girls, girls! / Simmer down! / This is not a three-ring circus!” Oh, but surely it was. What girl who suffered that class wasn’t positive she knew more than Teacher? There is an ode to “Frida Kahlo, San Miguel, Ash Wednesday” to be followed in a couple of pages by the 8 part poem, “Songs for Murdered Sisters.” 

 

There are pages of thought-provoking loveliness in this book, poems I read, stopped, read again, stopped again, and eventually turned the page. I have a love/hate relationship with the last poem, “Blackberries” for it conjured up memories of picking blackberries with my grandma who I miss terribly, and love so much. Good memories, of us picking the self-same fruits. And the lovely last lines, “Some berries occur in sun, / but they are smaller. / It’s as I always told you: / the best ones grow in shadow.”

 

Margaret Atwood is truly a national treasure in Canada. I find many delights in the fact Canada shares her with we in the south.

Death Interrupted: How Modern Medicine is Complicating the Way We Die --by Blair Bigham, MD

 Publisher: The Walrus Books (September 20, 2022)

Language: English

Paperback: 304 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1487008543

5 Stars

 

This is a fascinating read. I had a hard time putting it down. I do most of my reading horizontal in my bed, and I’d read until my eyes burned. This is memoir of an MD who is taking on all the hard topics families, doctors, and patients face in the ER, ICU, office, and home. 

 

I remember when pronouncement of death meant your heart stopped. Then, with transfer of organs, it became when the brain died. Then with all the technology, who knows? We can be kept alive, hooked to wires, tubes, and intubation for an indefinite period of time. But do we want to live like that? If you haven’t left the proper paperwork, your family may insist. The Courts may insist you be kept alive even if you wish to be declared “dead dead.” It takes work to die on your terms, find out how, and set the plans for all to read and respect.

 

One of the things that, for me, made this book so fascinating, is Dr. Bigham admits when he is/was wrong, and what is doing to change. In other words, the doctor is admitting he is human v. so many doctors who consider themselves God.

 

If you are dying, have close friends and family who are dying, or may someday die, I heartedly recommend this book. One of the best of the genre of death and dying I’ve yet to read.

Before Your Memory Fades (Book 3 of Before the Coffee Gets Cold) --by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

 Publisher: Hanover Square Press (November 15, 2022

Language: English

Hardcover: 320 pages (small book)

ISBN-13: 978-1335429285

Stars: 5+

 

This is the third in a series. The first thing I think all who have never read any of this series needs to know is that all books stand alone. If you read them out of order, it’s alright. There might be a couple references in passing you don’t get, but not to worry.

 

There is a second coffee house in Japan that offers time travel, with the same rules, it I the Donna Donna in Hakodate, a town on Hokkaido Island, north of Tokyo. Some of the people who work at the Finucli Finucla have come to the Donna Donna to cover for the owner who is out of the country.

 

Again, there are four independent stories that are expertly tied together at the end. These are great bedtime stories for the adult kids. Guaranteed not to give you nightmares ;-) As Mikey used to say when finished with his bowl of cereal, Try it. You’ll like it. 

Knowing When --by Mark Fleisher

 Publisher: Mercury HeartLink (March 7, 2023)

Language: English

Paperback: 56 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1949652260

Stars: 5

 

 

This my third book of poetry by Mark Fleisher, the first two being Incidental Moments and Intersections. One of the reasons I dearly love the poetry of this man is his unabashed willingness to include his wife. For her help and support, but mostly just because he’s in love with her.

 

This is a chapbook of about 26 poems, beginning with “The Mystery Of It All” which begins, “Like bards and troubadours / of days long past / we roam the countryside /” Right there, I knew I would like this book. And like the bards of old, Fleisher takes us through the countryside of life, death, and all that makes us human.

 

“Bittersweet Christmas” brought tears. Even now, I’m not sure exactly how it ends, and I’ve read it several times, “Her eyes could not contain / tears that welled and a few / slowly rolled down her checks /”.  The title poem, “Knowing When”is the penultimate poem of the collection, which this reviewer thinks is too short, by several poems (possibly not yet written). This poem gives us all a tutorial on when to walk off the stage. It us up to us to recognize it.

 

I eagerly await the next book. Mr. Fleisher writes narrative poetry, stories in stanzas, stories and stanzas that will melt your heart, bring a tear or two, or a laugh or three. Knowing When is delightful.

Cheap Motels of my Youth--poems by George Bilgere

 Publisher: Rattle (January 1, 2024

Language: English

Paperback: 40 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1931307567

5 Stars

 

 

This book was a gift. The giver has my undying love! From the first poem, “Nine” which begins, “I am standing by the pop machine / at the gas station, drinking a root beer.” I was pulled in. I was nine, once, and loved root beer. I relate to this kid who brought back happy childhood memories.

 

His poem, “Daddy” really grabbed me. It begins, “Pallas Athena took my poetry course / one summer a few years back,” gave me chuckles. As a veteran of the Women’s Army Corps, I was somewhat familiar with Pallas Athena, and the mental image of her taking a poetry course under an alias, well it was a chuckle out loud moment.

 

“Insult to Injury” has one of my favorite lines ever, “…Holding a pistol / is like shaking hands / with death.” His description farther down the poem of shooting a book brought another laugh out loud.

 

This book holds many insights into how Bilgere saw his youth into adulthood, which he brings full circle with the last poem, “Salad.” It begins describing his parents in their back yard before he was born and ends with him repeating the scene in his own life.

 

These poems are accessible. No deep, hidden meaning (at least I didn’t see any), the language is understandable, the poems are easy to read, and I dare say, most if not all readers will find poems they connect with, that will bring long lost and possibly forgotten happy childhood memories in their lives, to the fore.

The Call Home by Susan Johnson

Publisher: Poetry Box (April 15, 2023

Language: English

Paperback: 42 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1956285345

5 Stars

 

 

I had the opportunity of hearing Susan Johnson read some poems from this book, and immediately ordered a copy. Usually, when I hear one or two poems from a book and then buy the book, I find those were the two poems I truly love, while the others are okay. As some of you may know, I have a nasty habit of dogearing the bottom corner of the page I love. For whatever reason I did not begin to do that while reading this book. I can honestly state my favorite poem in this book is all of them!

 

The poetry begins with “Along Scatter Creek” which begins with an epigraph of a Japanese Proverb, “The pebble in the brook secretly thinks itself a precious stone.” then goes into the poem, first line being: “And aren’t we each a pebble,” And with that first poem, first line, we are not only invited into these poems, we are expected to expand our lives, to partake of the non-calorie deserts brought to us.

 

Each poem in this book is a “precious stone” just waiting to be picked up, looked at with wonder and marvel at its beauty, then carefully put back in the creek to be found and marveled at a later date. Or put in your pocket to grace your dresser top.

 

The last poem, “Teach Me” is a call to Heron to teach Johnson, and each of us, the wonder he embodies, with the last line, “Teach me quiet consent to the call home.”

 

Johnson’s poetry is narrative, accessible, exquisite pictures painted with words. 

Persian Knots: Confessions of a Foreign Bride by R. P. Ferris

 ASIN: BOCWQRZM19

Publisher: R.P.Ferris (March 17, 2024)

Language: English

Paperback: 368 pages

ISBN-13: 979-8989909100

5 Stars

 

I had things to do yesterday. A workshop in the afternoon, a seminar in the early evening, my usual bedtime, &c. I made a gross error—I started reading this book, and about 6 hours later, I put it down. Truly, a one-sit read! Yes, I missed the workshop, the seminar, and my usual bedtime. The book is that good.

 

Persia and surrounding countries have long interested me—their culture, their foods, the lands. I now feel like I’ve been on a journey to a land, Iran, I will never have the opportunity to visit. I absolutely loved the descriptions of the country and people. I knew people who were in Iran when the Shah’s regime failed. They told me interesting stories, but Ferris brought that time  alive—the uncertainty, the fear, the emotional roller coaster. For a history buff, this book is a fascinating read. For someone who loves to travel to different lands with new and at times strange, cultures, foods, humor, this book is a calorie-free desert.

 

If you are an armchair adventurer, this book is for you. The only thing I could wish for, is that she’d put some recipes at the chapter ends. However, that one thing isn’t enough to knock the rating down from its 5 Star rating. ;-)

The Warrior’s Apprentice (Vorkosigan Book 2 of 16) Kindle Edition –Lois McMaster Bujold

 ASIN: B005DNGSUU

Publisher: Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc. (July 19, 2011)

Language: English

File Size: 993 KB

Text to Speech: Enabled

Print length: 372 pages

5 Stars

 

I’ve been told that one of the things all successful writers must learn is to know when to kill their darlings, and then do it. Unfortunately, authors and readers don’t always agree. She killed one of my chosen darlings, one of my most favorite characters. How dare she!!! Well, I guess she thought it was time, and since we’ve never met, she couldn’t have called for my input. Drat! (I’m still hoping he’ll get resurrected, but it’s a fading hope.)

 

Bujold has the perfect timing to write these books. The action never gets bogged down, there is enough humor to chuckle and snort and now and then laugh out loud (even when she does kill the wrong darling!). The sub plots thicken or are other wisely solved. And the adventure just keeps going.

 

Science Fiction at its best!

Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections from a Grim Reaper’s Yearlong Sabbatical –by Brian Rea

 Publisher: Chronicle Books; Illustrated edition (February 5, 2019)

Language: English

Hardcover: 176 pages

ISBN-13:  978-1452172552

5 Stars

 

Death works in a cubicle farm with a bazillion other Deaths. Who knew? He reports to work and discovers a note from Human Resources telling him he has a great many unused vacation days—a year’s worth, to be exact, and starting Friday this week, he will be on vacation. A year-long vacation. 

 

This book is truly all about living, not dying. He keeps a journal of things he does, from upgrading his wardrobe to attending a carnival where he wins a goldfish and now has a pet, to dating apps to traveling to warm climes and hot spots. He even takes up painting!

 

The journal entries are fun, but the drawings are delightful. At first glance, it almost looks like a child’s book, but as you get into it, the reader will find it is anything but a child’s book. It’s for every workaholic out there. Life is for living, and living is not being crammed into a cubicle farm 24/7, no matter how much you love your job, or how indispensable you are. 

 

I do wish the goldfish played a bigger role, and had shown up on most (all?) pages, once introduced to Death and us.

Sebastian (Ephemera Book 1) Kindle Edition --by Anne Bishop

 ASIN: B000PC0SD2

Publisher: Ace (February 7, 2006

Language: English

Text-to-speech: Enabled

File size: 705 KB

Print length: 460 pages

5 Stars

 

If I have told myself once, I’ve told myself a bazillion times, “Self, DO NOT BUY the entire series at the same time! You will never pause between books to write your reviews!” I confess, and humbly apologize if this review is also a partial review of Book 2, 3, and or 4. I know better, but I must be honest, if the series is by Anne Bishop, the temptation is too great! And I’ve never been disappointed.

 

Once again, Bishop has come up with a fantastic series, where certain people (Landscapers) can communicate with the world, Ephemera. And there are Bridges who can open gateways/bridges between the countries or lands that are cared for by the Landscapers. And, there are Wizards, who for the most part are not nice people. Oh, and demons. Oh, yes, the demons are wonderful beings.

 

While Bishop’s other universes tend toward darkness, Ephemera has a nice balance, and some downright humorous situations. Sebastian lives in the Den of Iniquity, a land his cousin, Glorianna Belladonna cares for as a Landscaper and built for him. Several sub plots, which get finished before those dreaded words, “The End.”

 

Once started, I had a hard time putting the book/s down. Yes, this book is erotic, and sexy, and I really, really, Really, did not want to reach those dreaded words, “The End.”

Belladonna (Ephemera Book 2) Kindle Edition --by Anne Bishop

 ASIN:   B000PC0SMI

Publisher: Ace (March 6, 2007

Language: English

File size: 3609 KB

Text-to-speech: Enabled

Print length: 477 pages

5 Stars

 

Belladonna follows Sebastian, another page burner. Sometimes it pays to buy the whole series at the same time and just binge read. Which is what I did. This book was a tad darker than Sebastian, but I couldn’t put it down. Due to some things going on in my life, I needed to binge on books by an author whose work I know, and I chose wisely. There is enough conflict in this book that kept me on the edge of my seat, but not enough that I had nightmares when I turned the light off at night because I couldn’t keep my burning eyes open any longer.

 

The Eater of the World has been set free. He killed most of the Landscapers and Bridges who were close to his cage. Glorianna Belladonna is the only one who can re-cage the Eater. Can she do it? Will her brother, Lee, help her? What can Sebastian do? Well, who wrote the series? 

 

Bishop is one of the best authors, one of the best world builders I’ve ever read. And her universes are not the same one between series. I feel my reviews don’t do her justice, so just trust me, her books are fantastic and great reads.

Bridge of Dreams (Ephemera Book 3) Kindle Edition --by Anne Bishop

 ASIN: B006LTZJA0

Publisher: Ace; 1st edition (March 6, 2012

Language: English

File size: 1783 KB

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Print length: 447 pages

5 Stars

 

The trilogy ends. Sebastian had his book, Belladonna hers, and now Lee, the Bridge, has his. I’m truly sorry the series is ended; I enjoyed these books tremendously. Not only did the Devil get his due, so to speak, but it was great fun to see the characters grow into who they truly were.

 

In this book, Lee is captured, tortured, and eventually finds himself in an Asylum. The only ones who know what he is, are cut off from seeing him; but not before they manage to let him know, that he can’t escape, because they will follow him home to kill his sister, Belladonna. Now blind, among strangers, he must learn new ways to trust, to see, to love.

 

I truly didn’t want this book to end, because the next book is a stand-alone novella in the same universe, but not more about the people I’ve grown to enjoy immensely. Alas, the trilogy ended, no matter how slowly I read. Fortunately, they are mine, and I can reread whenever I want.

The Voice (Ephemera Book 4--A Novella) Kindle Edition --by Anne Bishop

 ASIN:  B0071GEUXE

Publisher: Ace (February 7, 2012

Language: English

File size: 1009 KB

Text-to-speech: Enabled

Print length: 60 pages

5 Stars

 

I read The Voice, when it first came out. I was delighted to find it at the end of The Bridge in my version. Like another reviewer stated, reading it now, at the end, it held a lot more nuance. Meeting Nalah, Kobrah and the trauma she endured, the unnamed Shaman, Danyal who is prominent in Bridge of Dreams, and The Voice. This is a well-crafted, haunting story.

 

It can probably be read as a stand-alone, but I’d read it either at the beginning or ending of the trilogy, and it fleshes out some of the characters in the books. 

 

Note to Anne Bishop: PLEASE write more Ephemera books. Please, please, please.

Shards of Honor (The Vorkosigan Saga, Book 1 of 16) Kindle Edition --by Lois McMaster Bujold

 ASIN: B005BH9T86

Publisher: Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc (July 6, 2011

Language: English

File size: 917 KB

Text-to-speech: Enabled

Print length 295 pages

5 Stars

 

If your book club needs some excitement, suggest this book. It’s a fun story, well told, with a bit of space opera, romance, conflict, and an ending. It is the first book in a series, and I appreciate the ending, not a cliff hanger to get me to buy the next book. I seldom buy the next book when I come across an ending like that. I have, however, books 2, 3, & 4 of the Vorkosigan Saga  waiting in my Kindle as I write this.

 

Bujold is a masterful storyteller and this is a master story. There are several quips scattered throughout, which bring smiles to chuckles to laughs out loud. The characters are believable. The good guys are just that, and the bad guys are evil. And, it’s fiction and I love it. Lots of action, no nightmares, so it makes a great bedtime read.

 

The afterward at the end, seems a bit like a set up for another book, but I’m not sure. It was interesting, and a nice ending. I think people who are, at best, iffy on science fiction will enjoy this book.

 

Shards of Honor was the book for this month’s read in the book club to which I belong. I can hardly wait until we meet to discuss it. There is a damaged hero in this book that I hope surfaces in the later books. 

The Echo of Old Books: A Novel (Kindle Edition) by Barbara Davis

 ASIN: B0B9RNFT45

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (March 28, 2023)

Language: English

File size: 7ǎ53 KB

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Print length: 413 pages

5 Stars

 

This book is delightful! It’s listed in Women’s Historical Fiction, Laster in Life Romance, and Magical Realism. 

 

Ashlyn is a young woman who had a rough childhood and tragic marriage. The last thing she wants, of getting involved with another man. So, of course, there’s a man. She owns a book store and bindery, so, naturally, she and he meet over two intriguing books. His father had them and both his parents are now dead and he inherited the house, and was cleaning out his father’s stuff. 

 

There is no copyright page in either book, one is obviously written by a man, the other by a woman. They tell the same story of instant love and romance and terrible break up. They both use fake names, and Ashlyn becomes more than intrigued, and begins to play detective. She bothers Ethan and he goes through the books and it’s his family. He’s sure of it. His family is not close for reasons that are told.

 

Are Belle and Hemi (the authors of the books) still alive? Can they find them?  Okay, it’s a romance, Ashlyn and Ethan know it does not end happily ever after for Belle and Hemi, and can’t because the man they track down as Hemi, Steven, died a few years ago. But Belle might like the books.

 

This book has everything—an overbearing and very rich father who will marry his daughters to whoever will give him the best deal. Or get rid of them. A writer who, to me, looked like Cary Grant. A sister who would make an almost perfect Evil Stepmother from any Disney movie you can name. The chapter headings give you the name of the protagonist for that chapter, and the year. Belle and Hemi are in 1941, Ethan & Ashlyn are in 1954 (I think. I don’t do numbers, so forgive me if I’m off) and later.

 

I had a hard time putting this book down, but there are times when my eyes burned, and tears rolled, and it was past my bedtime. For about 4 nights. Great book. Marvelous. Brava! Ms. Davis, Brava!!.

The Machine Dynasty Trilogy --by Madeline Ashby

This trilogy is comprised of vN, iD, and ReV. I apologize that I am not enough of a computer person to use the “correct” fonts and size for the titles. I think it makes a difference. It is extremely helpful/important that you read the Forward and Introduction to Book One, vN. They explain the time, and the reason vN is used instead of the more familiar term of robot. The trilogy was a gift from a friend, and an eBook, which is one reason I went straight through the three books without coming up for air.  

I think this is both a hard sci fi and a fantasy series, well combined. Humans and vN co-exist, vN have been wired so if they see a human in trouble, they melt down. Not really the three Laws of Robotics by Isaac Asimov, but something equally fun. 

 

Our heroine is a young vN, with a vN mother and a human father. No, not that way. Mom and Dad are married, but vN iterate. When they have ample food (not edible for humans) they start building a ‘baby’ vN, a direct copy of Mom. 

 

There is violence in the books, but nothing horrid or gratuitous. There is sex, but it’s an adult book. I thoroughly enjoyed the books. I read them straight through, and I was unaware of when one ended and the next one began, other than there was a time shift, and a location shift.

 

I truly enjoyed the vN. They were, for the most part, fun. The vN Antagonist, was marvelous. She was totally evil—until she wasn’t. She always was true to herself. And her family. 

 

I enjoyed the world building tremendously. A great escape from the world on which we exist and live. This was my bedtime read, no nightmares. Several chuckles and outright laughs.

Ruler of the Sky, A Novel of Genghis Khan --by Pamela Sargent

Publisher: Open Road Media (April d1, 2024)

Language: English

Kindle: 5031 KB

Print Length: 896 pages

ASIN: B00J90CDT8

3 Stars

 

Not only does this novel give us the life of Genghis Khan, but also his extended family, his wives, his children, his friends, and his campaigns. The story itself is a solid 5 stars, the writing is good, but too much information, hence only 3 stars. I would have liked to focus on fewer main characters, and get to know, and like them.

 

My father would have loved this book. I can almost see him sitting in his reading chair (very comfortable with flat, wide wooden arms), his coffee on the left arm, his notepad on the right, and the book in his lap. By the time he would have finished the book, he would have all the characters names, titles, and when possible, lineage. My father also loved Russian Literature (in English). I am not my father’s daughter.

 

I read an electronic book and being casually familiar with the story and the time, I did not take notes. I wanted to read the story, not prepare to lecture on it. I don’t know for sure, but I think the Mongols, like most other people I’ve read about, used a diminutive name for their friends and family. I wish Ms. Sargent had done so. I assume (silly me) her target audience is primarily English speakers. I would have greatly appreciated shortened names for the most part. I was reminded of the Russian Greats I tried to read when younger. Although her characters did not change names like the Russians, the names were too long and unfamiliar to easily grasp and carry from page to page. For example, Bortai is more familiarly known as Börte, or even Borte.

 

Perhaps the place names she used were the Mongolian names? I truly wished she’d used the more familiar names for English readers. It would have been easier to follow some of the movements. I appreciate the research, truly I do, however, it was almost like reading about a different planet. The story is good, but all the names and minutia did not add to my enjoyment. Actually, they detracted from my enjoyment. As I write this, I realize I didn’t particularly like or relate to anyone in the book. Well, maybe Borte.