I'm reading "A Trade of Blood", the third book in Robert Jackson Bennett's "Ana and Din Mysteries" and am quite enjoying both the worldbuilding and the mystery. I did have to go back and reread the first two books to remind myself of the details of his very bizarre world, which was not a hardship. Recommended.
Lydia: But you are a vampire. Spike: If I'm not, I'm gonna be pissed about drinking all that blood.
'Potential'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
bennett - Aug 13, 2026 10:30:22 am PDT #28740 of 28746
"The Senate today have voted to make me a god in Palmyra. They'll put a little statue to me in the temple, and people will bring offerings to me, asking me to bring rain or cure their father's gout. Tell me, Livia: if I'm a god, even in Palmyra, how do I cure gout?!" Augustus, "I Claudius"
-t - Aug 13, 2026 11:21:59 am PDT #28741 of 28746
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
I have that out from the library to read as soon as I can! Or in the next three weeks, anyway. The granular ordering of my most immediate TBR can get complicated. I read the first two not long ago, hopefully I remember enough to get by - really interesting world
Jessica - Aug 13, 2026 1:26:00 pm PDT #28742 of 28746
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
Books read on vacation:
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Posted upthread. I thought it started out very strong but ultimately needed a bit more plot by the end.
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep: Very solid modern cyberpunk, recommended for fans of the genre. If classic cyberpunk wasn't your thing back in the day, you might find it incredibly annoying but I had fun the whole way through. LOVED the ending.
The Ministry of Time: Another long-term resident of my TBR, finally conquered by a week at the lake! I liked almost everything about this book, thought it could have been a bit shorter. Another one with a satisfying ending though! (The only disappointment is I'd seen this book on a bunch of "Best LGBTQ+ Books" lists and so I was expecting more than two minor queer characters. But that's not the book's fault.)
-t - Aug 13, 2026 1:36:06 pm PDT #28743 of 28746
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
Thanks for that! I have been hesitant to pick up the Sheep one because the title just, I don't know, worried me. Like the chance that someone was trying to be cute in a way that was destined to disappoint me seemed high.
-t - Aug 24, 2026 5:39:21 pm PDT #28744 of 28746
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
Happy Daggerbound Day! I thought it was tomorrow but it’s on my phone now…should’ve taken tomorrow off
bennett - Aug 24, 2026 6:32:59 pm PDT #28745 of 28746
"The Senate today have voted to make me a god in Palmyra. They'll put a little statue to me in the temple, and people will bring offerings to me, asking me to bring rain or cure their father's gout. Tell me, Livia: if I'm a god, even in Palmyra, how do I cure gout?!" Augustus, "I Claudius"
Agreed!
Pix - Aug 24, 2026 9:10:50 pm PDT #28746 of 28746
The status is NOT quo.
I was just coming the post the same thing!!!