bees?

The Viscount Who Loved Me

Julia Quinn

Delightful historical rom-com. some wonderful banter between the two leads as they move from enemies to lovers.
I’m really looking forward to the Netflix adaptation of this particular book in the series because it could be the regency screwball comedy we all need.

Rating: B+

cuddles?

Axiom’s End

Lindsay Ellis

A first contact sci-fi novel by the insightful video essayist. This is set during Bush 2’s presidency and is full of paranoid conspiracy both among humans and aliens. I enjoyed this a lot and I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Rating: A-

cart?

The Lives of Christopher Chant

Diana Wynne Jones

A story telling the childhood adventures of the boy who would grow up to be Chrestomanci in Charmed Life. Very entertaining kids book with much more of a fantasy adventure focus.
Next in order is Conrad’s Fate which I disliked on first reading and have stalled with for now.

Rating: A-

matchbox?

Charmed Life

Diana Wynne Jones

I started to read the Chrestomanci books in DWJs preferred order.
Eric and Gwendolyn are orphans who are taken to live with their parent’s cousin who happens to be Chrestomanci.
This is an excellent kids fantasy book with the trademark wit and compassion of the author on full display.

Rating: A-

synthetic?

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour

Hank Green

The follow up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing expands the tale to include more narrators as the consequences of the events in the previous book hurtle toward a species level confrontation.
This is a very good book. A real page turner with great characters and deeply considered ideas. It succeeds in giving a satisfying conclusion to the similarly excellent first book of the series

Rating: A

rental?

Evvie Drake Starts Over

Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes is an occasional contributor on one of my favourite sports podcasts. This is a sweet romance about a widow starting to come back to life when she rents a room to a Major League pitcher recovering from an injury.

Rating: A-

taprobane?

The Fountains of Paradise

Arthur C. Clarke

I first read this book a long, long time ago as a library book. A few years ago, with fond memories, I bought a second hand paperback copy of the book to revisit at some point.
Having a desperate need to spend more time away from screens now that I’m working from home during the lockdown I picked a physical book from my shelves to give me that diversion.
The plot is that superstar engineer Vannevar Morgan has decided that his next project should be a space elevator. He has a special low-g developed wonder material that will allow it but he needs to build it on a mountain somewhere on the equator. The best spot just happens to be on the site of an ancient monastery.
This book is solid entertaining Science Fiction but honestly nothing outstanding – definitely not as good as I had remembered.
Worth a read but not worth going out of your way to get a copy.

Rating: B