Every year when November rolls around, I invariably think that it will be an easy month when I can catch up on things before the hectic days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and every year I am wrong. November is just as hectic as December, and I’m just as behind as ever. So this morning, while all is calm and quiet, I’m going to get caught up. Or at least try to. I will not be distracted by the dust on the shelves. It will still be there later. One thing on my to-do list is writing a letter or two. I’ve been part of a Discord server devoted to books and related things for the past two and a half years. We’re a chatty bunch and we talk all day everyday about everything. We’ve all become friends in this time, and in the past couple of weeks we’ve begun a letter-writing circle with about a dozen of us exchanging letters. I intend to write to everyone there, but as I’m not a fast writer to begin with, it is a slow process. That said, I’m enjoying it. I like having to slow down and think back to what I’ve been doing over the past couple of days to figure out what to write about, though seeing as how I’m a lifelong Midwesterner the weather is always at the top of the list. I can’t help it. That’s just how we are. But then what? Do I talk about making bread or my misadventures in knitting? What I saw when I went for a walk around the neighborhood? What my cat has been doing? The answer is that I’ll talk about any of these things. A letter is just part of an ongoing conversation and can be about whatever you want it to be. Sure, this group of letter writers chats online everyday, but there are a dozen or more ongoing conversations at any given time. These letters are just one more added into the mix, with the advantage of an analog component. Getting a letter in the mail is a sure way to brighten your day. And I have, apparently, gotten people excited about receiving their very own photograph of my cat. So if you, like many people, have daydreamed about writing letters consider this to be your little nudge out of the door. A letter doesn’t have to be about anything special. It’s just another conversation, and the person getting said letter will be happy to get it. What I’ve Been Reading: The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow- A lady knight and the scholar who writes her story and flung together, across time, over and over again to fulfill the whims of a dictator who uses the story of the lady knight- Una Everlasting- to aid her rise to power. As the versions of the story increase and change, Una and Owen struggle to remember what has happened to them across the stories and find a way to break the cycle and live together without fear. I’d been looking forward to this book since the first time I heard about it last spring or so. It’s an expansion of Harrow’s excellent short story ‘The Six Deaths of the Saint’. I will admit to feeling some trepidation, however, as Harrow’s books haven’t always worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed The Once and Future Witches, but Starling House fell flat for me. I’m happy to say that The Everlasting was a hit. While I wasn’t invested in the romance between Una and Owen (it was fine, it just wasn’t what drew me into the story), everything hit just the right notes. After reading so many medieval-based books where the author failed to do the most basic research, it was refreshing to see that Harrow actually consulted medievalists– and took their suggestions seriously! From small details to major plot points, the medieval elements rang true and helped to build the world of Una Everlasting, while also speaking to the theme of national mythmaking and how those myths can be used for evil ends. Harrow’s prose, too, was excellent– lush and lyrical without being overwrought. The Everlasting is not my favorite book of the year, but it’s well up there on the list. Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher- Healer Anja is an expert in poisons. She’s been obsessed with finding antidotes for them since childhood, and has made a career out trying to heal people who have been poisoned. It’s not, she would readily admit, the most cheerful occupation, and there are some who think she goes around making poisons for fun. She does not. But her expertise has given her some face, and when the king shows up and all but orders Anja to try to heal his daughter, who he suspects is being poisoned, she can’t really say no. So she travels three days out to the manor where the girl is living to find a cure, and there Anja discovers something so strange she can hardly believe it. But the world she finds is real enough, and its secrets could bring about the downfall of her world. I always look forward to a T. Kingfisher novel, and Hemlock and Silver was as fun and compelling as I thought it would be. Though the story takes its time in getting started, I enjoyed Anja’s voice and was willing to get through the slower beginning in order to get to the eerie second half, when I knew the pacing would pick up and we would get into the heart of the story. It was so interesting to see a character as scientifically-minded as Anja come face to face with magic that was beyond her ability to rationalize. Her responses felt so real, because really, what would any of us do if we fell into a world beyond anything we’ve experienced? The prose was classic Kingfisher- straightforward, elegant, and laced with wry humor throughout. Daughter of the Otherworld (Gael Song, era 2, #1) by Shauna Lawless- More than a hundred years after her disappearance at birth, Isolde reappears thanks to the magic of her forebears, the Descendants. Raised by her kin on a lonely island, Isolde is happy with her life and content to stay where she is. But the Fomorians, her people’s ancient enemy, are still out there and they have not forgotten the prophecy made before Isolde’s birth. They have been looking for Isolde all this time, and will not stop until she and all her people are dead. At nearly eighteen, Isolde knows nothing about the world beyond her quiet home, but she will not be able to stay there forever, and the world beyond is full of strife and on the brink of war. I’ve grown to be such a fan of the Gael Song series since I started reading it earlier this year, so I was excited to get an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Though I’ll miss Fódla’s gentle perspective, Isolde is turning into a fantastic character, too. It’s not often you find a teenaged protagonist who doesn’t yearn to find out what’s beyond the horizon, so seeing Isolde be content in her cottage on the little island was a nice change, and seeing her learn and grow as she traveled beyond her old borders was wonderful, too. Overall, I enjoyed the book, though I had a bit of a quibble with a certain plot element that keeps being repeated throughout the series. I don’t know how Lawless could change that up, though, so I’ll just have to deal with it. And now that I’ve caught up with the series, I’ll have to wait and wait for the next installment. I hope to have a longer review up later this week. The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis- The English village of Little Nettlebed is an odd place. Strange creatures wash up on the shores of the Thames, and ravens always seem to gather on the rooftops of houses where people are about to die. But the strangeness reaches its peak one hot summer, when the river has nearly dried up and the villagers begin to hear strange barking in the forest. When one man claims to have seen the Mansfield sisters transform into dogs in front of him, speculation runs rampant. The story shifts between five different villagers, all of whom have things to say about the sisters, some good and some bad, and while they don’t agree about the girls, they all recognize something major is about to happen in Little Nettlebed, and the Mansfield sisters may be the ones who pay for it. I’ve heard nothing but good about this weird little book, so I was anxious to pick it up at the library. It did not disappoint. At 240 pages, The Hounding is an efficiently told story packed with detail and atmosphere, with distinct perspectives and fully rounded characters who feel as though they’ve stepped out of the history books. Once I hit the midpoint, I couldn’t put the book down until I’d finished it. The book is so expertly written that it’s hard to believe it was Purvis’ debut. I hope she continues writing novels, because if any other book she writes is as good as The Hounding, hers will be a voice to be reckoned with.  Traveling in Books is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Traveling in Books that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
|
Sunday, 16 November 2025
Letter Writing
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Ghost Homesteads of the Blue Ridge Mountains
What remains after the forests reclaim the homes and lives that once filled them ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ...
-
Rex Sikes posted: " Take this quote of William Atkinson Walker's to heart. Understand it and apply it in your life. ...
No comments:
Post a Comment