b e d s i d e t a b l e

just finished:


Dragon Precinct by Keith R.A. DeCandido
I thought I'd dig this book, being as it's a fantasy/mystery complete with cops, robbers, magicians, elves, and such. However, it's a concept much better done by the likes of Terry Pratchett or Glen Cook. So-so.

Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World by Davy Rothbart
I sat up until the wee hours devouring every scrap. In a few days, I'll read it again. And then probably another time.

in process of reading:

The Grand Tour : Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede
Imagine 1817 England (the Regency period), like Jane Austen, crossed with Harry Potter. There is a college of magic, evil wizards, magic spells, all combined with a healthy dose of regency manners and droll drawing room wit. The 2nd in a series, written (this time) with the 2 authors alternating points of view (one narrated as a deposition; one as a diary) between the main characters, wacky Cecy and Kate. I'm enjoying it but so far liked the 1st one better (which is Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country)

Thornyhold by Mary Stewart
(review from Amazon because I've only read about 12 pages so far, which are really GOOD)
This old-fashioned gothic romance is as good as they get. When Gilly's witch aunt leaves Thornyhold to her, a house in the middle of the woods, Gilly finds that she has inherited far more than she realized. Along with the house comes a cat, a still room filled with herbs (and a missing recipe book), an attic chamber with carrier pigeons (who have secret messages), and an attractive neighbor whose young son offers the sacred and unique blessing of friendship. But Thornyhold possesses far more than even these simple offerings. The place itself seems to convoke otherworldly gifts as well: Gilly cultivates the abilities to heal and to foresee the future once she makes Thornyhold her home.

I am a late convert to old Mary Stewart, and I loved this other book I just read of hers called the Ivy Tree. In that one, a young woman is a dead ringer for an heiress that has been missing for several years. The crooked members of the heiress's family convince her to impersonate the missing heiress to get in good with the dying patriarch of the family, so they can all split the loot when he kicks. It's a really good book, full of mystery and gothic spookiness. Plus, a stoic love interest, a psychotic and handsome charmer, and a bit of the madwoman in the attic aspect I love from Jane Eyre. It's great!