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I didn't know Rilla of Ingleside is the only Canadian novel written from a woman's perspective about the First World War by a contemporary. It was also one of the first non-Australian texts to mention Gallipoli and the ANZACs sacrifice.

So it will be nice to visit this with mature eyes.

Hoo boy when The Kite Runner said "There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood", it took that line and hammered it in in this book.

Which is a big reason why I'm kind of bum rushing the last quarter of this book. Not only because I have less than a week on the library loan, but also because this is really not the right time for me to be reading this. I'm not emotionally prepared for it.

Another book I FOMO'd myself into buying after seeing how long the waitlist was for the book at the library. Although imagine my consternation when weeks after buying it new I found a pristine copy at my local thrift store.

I'm intrigued by the premise of exploring trad wives given the discussions surrounding them these days as a counterculture culture.

Despite exploring the same time and in a way, place (not that Afghanistan is monolith culturally) as The Kite Runner and the similarities that comes of it, there is so much different. Gender is the primary reason but also class.

In a way, it's a look at what happened to those that got left behind during the turmoil that was the 80s and 90s. A very foreign sensation to those who fled.

One has to wonder at how many false trails are laid before we get to the heart of the mystery.

Dead Man's Folly is my first Agatha Christie book (not movie however) and I'm finding it quite enjoyable so far. But I have no frame of reference to compare it to others.

I do have to remind myself that it is not Edwardian but of a later time repeatedly.

All throughout reading this book so far, I keep thinking back to Tim's Vermeer, a documentary exploring a man's theory about how Vermeer produced his paintings.

This book doesn't got too deep on how Vermeer is painting, but it niggles with every reference to his work.

That isn't to say the story surrounding Griet isn't interesting. But it's more speculative than historical.

It always takes awhile for a Malazan book to take shape. This one feels different in how it is coming together though because it's something of a prologue. We already know what the end result, so to speak, is going to be. If not how we get there.

I've decided the time has come to see an end to the reading of Eulalia! Mostly because I'm not interested in bringing the book on the family's 3 week vacation just for 50 pages.

So the pip will be starting a new book while I finish this one out with the help of an audiobook. Ending this month's long journey for us both.

Well at least this time, unlike with the Kite Runner, I'm prepared mentally for a dark story and have a lineup that can accommodate the grimness.

Picked this book up in a little free library and reading it for a monthly keyword challenge because it has two of the keywords in the title. I've seen reports its better than the Kite Runner also. So there's that.

Funny thing. I had first planned to read this back in 2024. It didn't happen because I'm a mood reader that frequently changes her mind.

Then this popped up on a Goodreads challenge and I said "why not?" It lops off another book off my digital list in any case.

I decided to finish this rather than put it on hold.

I also decided I'm going to reread this in October/November time when grief sits a little closer to me and I'm in the right headspace to really internalize this book. So will likely reserve most of my thoughts for the reread. Because right now I don't think is fair to analyze the topic this explores.

It's amazing what you can get through when you don't have a second fantasy book on a timer competing with your limited attention time.

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting the thing that sent Trull on his path in House of Chains to happen this soon. Really thought it'd be the book's climax.

I'm glad it did because things were dragging.

Another day, another book picked up from the library rather than my TBR. Though in my defence, this was a book club pick so perhaps it's better I got it from the library than purchase yet another book I haven't yet read.

I'm in a bit of a mystery mood at the moment so hopefully this will satiate the feeling.

This is one of those instances where I should have read the synopsis of this book.

This has been on my TBR for a decade due to it existing on various reading lists. It's not super long and it's Joan Didion.

But I really should have read the synopsis of this book before actually picking it up.

- speechlessly stares at book -
- starts waving hands back and forth -

Why would she do this thing but not that? Like, how many of her bloody problems would be resolved if she also followed up about the first guy? What in the...

The logic is baffling to me. What the hell is this book?

I think I kind of low key hate this book.

The plot has gone in illogical circles, the pacing has been ass, the characters are irritating and the writing is mediocre at best. I'll finish it off though just to see what the hell is going on because I haven't a clue at this stage.

You can sometimes get decent ebooks for free. This is not one of them.

Well this book finally kicked off and I am flying now. Good thing too as the due date for the audiobook nears.

Guy Gavriel Kay's stories are always so atmospheric, it envelops you into the world in a way that is both beautiful and haunting. Also, he's done his homework with this book. No cultural anomalies so far.

Even though I was aware that this was an epistolary novel going in, I don't think I knew and so was prepared for the experience of reading an epistolary novel. It is not a format I have much experience in.

It certainly begets the question of what goes unsaid in each letter. And what the letters are attempting to project.

This book is hella messy and makes no damn sense so far. It feels like it's just deus ex machina'ing left and right all sorts of things to make this or that happen against logic.

Nevermind the fact it is a book about people on the South's side of the Civil War. We're talking plantation owners...

Gavriel Kay's writing has a style that is always singularly aesthetic and atmospheric in tonality and colour. It really brings in an ethereal quality to his stories that is both beautiful but also haunting.

I'll admit, I have some concerns over him handling a story culturally similar to China. So far so good though. Mostly.

My lack of progress here can be blamed on Blood Over Bright Haven putting a pause to all other things.

Also, honestly, it's taking me awhile to actually absorb and figure out what is happening. I keep having to refer to character lists to get things straight as to who is who and where and why and how. Rewarding, but slow going.

Also, it's a 960 page book. It be long.

Yes I said I was trying to keep my list of books on the go down a bit. But this audiobook came up as a 7-day skip-the-line loan again and for once,I felt I had the capacity to go for it.

So I snagged it. I'm hoping it lives up to the glowing reputation it is sporting by so many.

Sincerely, I tried so very hard not to go five books deep on my Currently Reading list again. But I was in desperate need of an ebook option and none of the three I have on the go for myself had one available.

So I went with this free Kindle book. One, because I need to read my collection down. Two, because this is where my mood led me.

So I binged this a little bit. Let's just say, two events made me want to know what the deal actually is surrounding our main romantic characters.

One event has mostly been resolved. The other event is still pending. It's the one I'm worried about, because it could very possibly be annoyingly dumb. But I had to get sleep, so I allowed myself to let it hang.

I don't know if I like how the narrative keeps ravelling and unravelling in the way it is. It just makes me want to compare it so far to Redwall and I'm finding it relatively wanting.

I will give it that it could still surprise me in how it resolves the whole mess going on.

I saw this book get compared to the drama Grey's Anatomy. And suddenly I understand why I'm not jiving with this book. While the familiar setting of Toronto is some comfort, it doesn't overcome my malaise of how it is exploring the topic.

Also not a book to read when making food.

I'm doing a really piss poor job of getting through my physical TBR right now.

Of the last 20 books I've read, 3 were a physical TBR books prior to me picking it up.

Now, some are ebooks or audiobooks I own, but those don't take up space in my tiny home. Clearly, I'm going to have to refocus my reading efforts.

Here's to a physical TBR book dating back to 2016.

How good was Blood Over Bright Haven? I paused this rom com book to binge it.

To be clear, I'm really loving vibes of this book. So much so that I bought another Katherine Center book via a Kobo sale today in prep for a long vacation coming up. But wheb reading time is limited, sometimes you have to cede time for other things.

But I am looking forward to getting back to this.

The concept of this book exploring the grey areas that is becoming and being a doctor in Canada and Toronto particularly (that I see so far) is an idea that I feel I can get behind. The execution as a fiction book is something I'm struggling with.

Granted, this as well as most of my other books in progress has been sidelined by Blood Over Bright Haven both in urgency and interest at this moment. So there's that.

Oh this is good. Like, already don't want to put it down good. Like, wow I just hit a chapter that reshape everything about what this story means so far, although hints were sown in the lead up.

I may actually finish this book before my 7 day skip the line audiobook loan comes due.