This is a many re-read review. Meg’s grandfather is writing a book and wants beautiful illustrations of the featured birds. Without consulting his exteThis is a many re-read review. Meg’s grandfather is writing a book and wants beautiful illustrations of the featured birds. Without consulting his extensive and educated family, he has chosen a painter who does beautiful work but who is possibly one of the most arrogant and demanding people on the planet. With the beautiful inn and the zoo not meeting his standards, somehow Castlemayne has ended up in Meg and Michael’s beautiful library. For people who love libraries - there are some tense moments as a painter throws stuff around but Meg’s mother has done her best to protect the books and quilts!
Meg, home and away from her skiing family as she has a sprained ankle, is left to negotiate the painter, the relatives, her grandfather and all as usual.
A sweet novella about a vampire who takes a regular job as a housekeeper and PA to an author. The author, Cooper, is a true author, bumbling his way tA sweet novella about a vampire who takes a regular job as a housekeeper and PA to an author. The author, Cooper, is a true author, bumbling his way through life, collecting books, experimenting to make sure his stories work, forgetting dates and to eat and sleep. Justus thinks the job looks potentially too good to be true but he can do anything for a month right? After some initial bumps and attempting suffocations, Justus and Cooper work it out and find their way to a satisfactory arrangement! Sweet, beautiful, wish I had a vampire to organize my house! ...more
What's a half-troll to do when she's a week away from graduating from human police academy but she gets the message that her semi-estranged troll fathWhat's a half-troll to do when she's a week away from graduating from human police academy but she gets the message that her semi-estranged troll father has died. Well she travels to his home, but only on the insistence and with the help of a fairy.
Hoping to wrap whatever he's left behind quickly, instead she discovers he was the hero of the town, the detective who solved everyone's magical and less magical problems and now the mantle quite literally has fallen to her - in the form of a magical piece of clothing that lets her know everyone's weaknesses and offers her strength and healing.
This is a great setting for a book and I do look forward to reading others in the series. It took a little while to set up who everyone is and get everyone where they needed to be. Great descriptions, I really want to eat at the Sourdough Cafe now!
This is an urban fantasy - not cozy and not adult or explicit but some of the descriptions may put off someone eating their lunch. ...more
Book 1 was the British bake off in fantasy land. Book 2 was Beauty and the Beast except a dwarf and a gargoyleBook 3 in the lovely cozy fantasy series!
Book 1 was the British bake off in fantasy land. Book 2 was Beauty and the Beast except a dwarf and a gargoyle and a dragon thrown in for fun! Book 3 is reluctant grumpy fox forced out of her shell and to participate in the Winter games.
Jez left her home, her warm sun-baked desert southern home, to find herself. She thought she was having an adventure and an opportunity, and she did pretty good at the baking competition and then followed her new friends to their home and she got a job and a place to stay. And ok sometimes she had to just away from it all and sometimes she had to nap but life was ok.
The winter brought with it snow, ice, a cold so penetrating that Jez can barely believe it, and also the Winter Games, complete with so many tourists and emotions and they all smell!! Jez declares she won’t have anything to do with it and hides in several glasses of rum.
But when her friend, the amazingly talented woodland elf Taenya, is approached by two humans, Jez leaps to her defense. In her drink and overwhelmed state, Jez accepts a challenge and a wager to compete and may have mentioned that Taenya was her girlfriend…
Jez is such a well described character. On the surface she is grumpy and a bit sad. Underneath, she’s every one of us who have been overwhelmed with life for whatever reason. Jez is neurospicy - overwhelmed by smells due to her magical ability and fennec fox nose - and everything smells even the sunset.
The way these friends come together and support each other and show understanding for each other’s needs but also nudge each other to greater happiness is just such a delightful read. It’s cozy, it’s fun, it’s so supportive and loving.
A demon , a powerful paper-pushing demon, gets summoned and finds himself a cult that’s offering him the life oa cozy cuddly fiendish story of family
A demon , a powerful paper-pushing demon, gets summoned and finds himself a cult that’s offering him the life of an innocent child in return for his services. The demon ponders only briefly before rescuing the innocent child, who turns out to be quite a clever little witch, then finds himself called to her over and over again - mostly to open fiendish jars of tomato sauce. Amazed at the new punishments Bael is sharing with the Underworld, a fire demon in disguise attempts to follow him to find out his source of inspiration and in doing so, traps herself into a pact. Now this powerful paper-pusher and fire-demon (sort of) and this innocent young witch embark on a cozy adventure into forming a family.
It’s cozy, it’s full of sarcasm and wit and some of the best lines I’ve read since Terry Pratchett. It’s a romantasy, fantastical and sweet, evil and horrific. It is for all fans of Good Omens and TP’s best works, but also for all those who embrace a good cozy summer read. Don’t read in bed with a sleeping partner because you will wake them up with your giggles! ...more
Really lovely cozy Christmas treat! Romance, mystery, suspense, traditions galore from pagan to Christian, so many glorious crafting pursuits, and a lReally lovely cozy Christmas treat! Romance, mystery, suspense, traditions galore from pagan to Christian, so many glorious crafting pursuits, and a lovely homey comfortable setting and people.
Meg is recovering from pneumonia, but is recruited to go to the Red House to paint the portraits of a famous poet and his equally famous linguist - archaeologist wife. Reluctant at first, she gets interested until she bumps into someone from the past, Lex, the man she fancied in college but who had a tragic story and a bizarre reaction to her after a drunken night out. Now she has to do her job, try not to fall more in love with the place and the people and stay away from the man who keeps turning up!...more
Sabine has not got long to live and must finally make a will and decide who to entrust with Mitras castle, inheriteDelightful Christmas escapism cozy.
Sabine has not got long to live and must finally make a will and decide who to entrust with Mitras castle, inherited from her mother’s family for many generations, and the scene of much family love - and scandal and trauma. Dido and Henry are the business partner owners of Heavenly Holidays. Whilst both have side businesses that keep them going, each Christmas they take a big job as housekeeper, chef, butler and server and anything else required to help families with the money to pay them, to get through the Christmas season with festivity and joy.
Dido loves the place at first sight and throws herself into making it the best - and last - Christmas ever for their hostess. Henry expands to chauffeur, newspaper fetcher, doorman and little nibblies chef whilst Dido cooks up meals and desserts for every day dining and for the big Christmas feast.
Sabine has invited all of her and her deceased husband’s living relatives to the house - all of them, even the ones who don’t know they’re related. Will she make the right decision and find a suitable family member to carry on the home as a home or will she give it up to the National Trust?
Lovely page turner. Way too many delicious sounding foods and meals and snacks. Will make you feel cold and warm all at the same time. ...more
Trigger warnings: bullying, loss of spouse, difficult family / step-family relationships, child rape/attempted rape, mental illness including obsessivTrigger warnings: bullying, loss of spouse, difficult family / step-family relationships, child rape/attempted rape, mental illness including obsessive compulsive.
There are 3 stories in this book - the modern day one which is tragic, beautiful, redeeming and fulfilling. The most recent historic story - which is sad and difficult. The furthest back history story which is the darkest and fortunately least mentioned.
The modern story is a truly lovely Trisha Ashley story. There is devastating heart break and loss and strife and a slow but beautiful path forwards. The main characters are adorable and lovely. The dealings with someone suffering from a mental health disorder are not as positive as one would expect to see in a book written today but I think this book was written a few years ago.
I do understand the use of the historical stories but think some scenes could have been less intense and dark and I wouldn’t have needed to share so many trigger warnings.
Overall I enjoyed the details of the stained glass making and the art and the progression from love to loss to grief to friendship to love. However I hated the trigger warning parts so much that I can only advise one to read with extreme caution. ...more
The sequel book - long awaited and it was totally worth it.
Trigger warnings: child abuse, death of parents, governmental abuse of citizens including cThe sequel book - long awaited and it was totally worth it.
Trigger warnings: child abuse, death of parents, governmental abuse of citizens including children.
Book 1 - the House in the Cerulean Sea - was amazing. It was a fabulous fantasy story exploring the true meaning of family, of love, of how a government can be misled and misleading about their actions, but mostly it was a great adventure about two men falling in love with each other and with their children, creating a family without any need for blood or biological connections.
Book 2 - goes beyond. It takes the story to the next step - a wonderful happy family living together, supporting each other, challenging each other, expanding to include more family members. It also takes the exploration of the government guidelines up a step. Question your government - always! Make them think and prove why rules exist. Make them remember the little people, those who are not as wealthy, or white, or heterosexual, or cis, or religious or in this case, as human as they themselves are.
We all have a history - good or bad, filled with love or hate. It is what makes us who we are but we can also choose to repeat history, learn from it and create ourselves and move forwards.
Arthur is delightful, a phoenix with a horrific childhood of trauma, now embracing the most terrifying of fantastical creatures as his own children to try to ensure their safety but also their rights to exist in this world. Linus is a human rule-follower - until he realizes just how oppressive his government is, how amazing the family he’s now met in book 1 is.
The children - describing them all would take too long - just read the book - and learn how these awesome children should be welcome in any home!
I really enjoyed book 1 on my first read and again on my recent reread. I REALLY enjoyed book 2.
For those reviewers who said this book wasn’t necessary for the story or was pontificating or political - you missed something. You missed that this book wasn’t necessarily for you.
Throughout history, the minorities, the marginalized communities, those who look or act or think outside of the mainstream have been abused, threatened, slandered and abandoned by individuals, communities, governments, the world.
They don’t speak with one voice, but with many. And many of them feel they’re screaming into the void for help, for peace, for support or just for the right to be themselves and be allowed to exist as part of society the same as everyone else. And by their side, behind or in front or wherever needed are the allies who are showing their love, their empathy, their support.
This book is for the trans community - it says it right there in the author dedication.
We see you. We hear you. We love you.
Hurrah for being the anti-JK and please please TJ Klune - keep writing!!! ...more
Trigger warning: limited but some terms of homophobia, transphobia, deals with issues of gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia. This is mentioned by the aTrigger warning: limited but some terms of homophobia, transphobia, deals with issues of gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia. This is mentioned by the author at the start of the book.
This is a short book that feels like both the perfect outing for a non-binary superhero and a personal recording of the author’s journey to discover themself.
The story on the most basic level is about a person born into a family of superheroes. Initially without obvious powers, the person discovers their powers and shortly after realizes they are not in anyway the person they thought they were. From a powerless younger “daughter” to a powerful gender-queer teenager, they must discover who they are, what they can do, and what their body can do for them, before the world overwhelms them with expectations.
On a deeper level, the author is channeling their experiences, their challenges, their hopes and dreams and sharing it with us.
It’s not a bestseller book. It’s not an Avengers or Batman superhero story. It is a great way to explore what a non-binary person can feel and be and how the world and family could react and support (or not) them finding their true self.
This is a book of this era of finding self-identity and facing up to the realities of the world whilst embedding it in a fantasy superhero story. And life is hard - so it’s not the happiest of books but it’s very meaningful....more
A good fun book for kids to enjoy learning about dinosaurs and match shapes and magnets. Fun and gentle. Doesn't get more stores as doesn't contain a A good fun book for kids to enjoy learning about dinosaurs and match shapes and magnets. Fun and gentle. Doesn't get more stores as doesn't contain a lot of actual information!
Merged review:
A good fun book for kids to enjoy learning about dinosaurs and match shapes and magnets. Fun and gentle. Doesn't get more stores as doesn't contain a lot of actual information!...more