A Hard Day's Knight

Title: A Hard Day's Knight

Author: Simon R. Green

Series: Nightside, Bk 11

Publisher: Penguin

ISBN: 9781101475232

Length: 304 pages

Obtained: Library OverDrive ebook copy

Comments:

The Nightside and Arthur, Camelot, and the Knights of the Round Table - or in this case, the London Knights.

The series is coming to a close and you can feel it in this book.  Threads that have been lingering are being tied up, and the Nightside is in a strange place between staying the same and changing, complete with the beginning stages of a major war.  Of course, that isn't unusual for the Nightside.  John has already been through two other wars recently.

I only read one book prior to this one recently to remind me of what is going on, so you probably could just jump in.  However, I would definitely recommend starting from the beginning of the series so you can both watch John's growth and get a good feel for the Nightside and all its characters.  I'm both excited and dreading the next, and final, book of this series - The Bride Wore Black Leather.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 8/6/2018

Hosted by: Book Date

My birthday is coming in a little under a month.  Since I am now becoming more regular in my blogging, I want to celebrate it on here.  I have been focused on library and digital books lately, but I have some print books that need attention.  I've decided to have a giveaway once a week up through my birthday.  I will discuss this further at the end of this post.

This week I finished reading:

The Door to the Lost by Jaleigh Johnson  - [My post] 

Tricks for Free (InCryptid, Bk 7) by Seanan McGuire - [My post] 

The Lost Books: The Scroll of Kings by Sarah Prineas - [My post] 

Bird, Bath, and Beyond (Agent to the Paws Mystery, Bk 2) by E. J. Copperman - [My post] 

I'm currently reading:

The lighting is horrible in this image - I took this without flash to better show the screens.  The one in the back is the audio of Moby Dick.

In audio (on CD), I've been listening to Moby Dick by Herman Melville (read by Paul Boehmer).  Captain Ahab has told his crew about the great white whale they seek.  The top harpooners have identified his whale as Moby Dick.  I think I may need to switch to the print for a bit to get through this next part.

A Hard Day's Knight (Nightside, Bk 11) by Simon R. Green (library OverDrive ebook) - I'm enjoying this so far.  John has fought off a great many, but there is an upcoming elf civil war to concern himself with.

Eye of the Shoal : a Fish-watcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean and Everything by Helen Scales (library hardcover) - I didn't get any further with this title this week.

The Story Chapter 3 "Joseph: From Slave to Deputy Pharaoh" read by Michael Blain-Rozgay and Allison Moffett - These are eAudio through the library's Hoopla subscription.  I've barely started thsi chapter.

Up next:

The Saturday Morning Murder (Michael Ohayon, Bk 1) by Batya Gur
The Silk Train Murder (Kondike Era Mystery, Bk 1) by Sharon Rowse
Bannerless (Bannerless, Bk 1) by Carrie Vaughn
Cat About Town (Cat Cafe Mystery, Bk 1) by Cate Conte
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (book discussion book)
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi; Translated by Jonathan Wright
Lady Elect by Likita Lynnette Nichols
The Grey Bastards (The Lot Lands, #1) by Jonathan French
Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin; illustrated by Giovanni Rigano
The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and our Health—and a Vision for Change by Annie Leonard
Happy Starts at Home by Rebecca West
The Locksmith's Daughter by Karen Brooks
Venom in the Veins (Elemental, Bk 17) by Jennifer Estep
Nightbooks by J. A. White
The Lost Chapters: Finding Recovery and Renewal One Book at a Time by Leslie Schwartz
Bringing back Our Freshwater Lakes by Lisa J. Amstutz

Giveaway

For this first birthday celebration giveaway, I will be offering Hot Mess by Emily Belden.  I heard Emily speak at a romance panel in June.  According to Emily, the book has a foodie touch and addresses addiction issues and healthy/unhealthy relationships.  The book was purchased new and signed by the author.  It is unread (though it should be once read by the time I ship it).  Enter below.  Winner must respond to my contact email within 24 hours.  This is an international giveaway.  All entrants welcome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7/30/2018

Hosted by: Book Date

I didn't get my helicopter ride yet.  Apparently the company they've been using has been having some mechanical issues, so until they have everything fixed, the ride is on hold.  Since having a Thursday evening off took more than a month's notice, I'm a bit concerned about whether I'll be able to manage a future date with my work schedule.  We'll see.

Since my sister and BIL are unable to start work on the inside of their new house (tenants are still in residence), they've been getting straight to work with the outside.  All the previous shingling is being taken down to expose the original wood of this almost 120 year old house.  I'm not involved in any of the work for this, but it's been fun to watch, if crazy.

My older nephew had his first 4-H dog show this weekend.  While it took cajoling and encouragement and 4 hours, we eventually made it through (he only ran out in the middle of judging once).  He came home to video games, and the other two kiddos came home to try start their own training attempts with a couple of the other dogs.  I found it incredibly cute and amusing to watch them put the dogs through their paces, but no one else seemed to care much.  Of course there was also an open house that day that my mother was preparing a dish for, and the house stuff, so those may have been factors.

Anyway, I went to a game night that same day, and we played a card version of Oregon Trail.  It was fun and brought back fond memories of the computer game in elementary school, but we had a couple people wipe out from dysentery and one from snakebite.

On the reading/blogging side, I've been dragging my feet on this post because I accomplished so little reading this past week...

This week I finished reading:

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke  - [My post] This was my first review book from Edelweiss, and I enjoyed it.  It involves Norse mythology and assassins (of a sort) and was different than anything else I've read lately.

Coyote Tales by Thomas King - This is the second book I've finished for the 12th annual Canadian Book Challenge.  I still have to post on this per challenge requirements, but haven't yet.

The Story Chapter 1 "Creation: The Beginning of Life as We Know It" and Chapter 2 "God Builds a Nation" read by Michael Blain-Rozgay and Allison Moffett - These are eAudio through the library's Hoopla subscription.  I saw something about this series on another blog post and decided to try it.  Apparently each chapter is about 30 minutes long.  They are supposed to be set up like a continuous story.  This means some biblical stories are skipped.  But so I'm finding these readings interesting.

I'm currently reading:

In audio (on CD), I've been listening to Moby Dick by Herman Melville (read by Paul Boehmer).  I haven't listened to as much as I should have this week.  I did listen to some discussion of the ship dynamics - how the captain, mates, and primary harpooners interact with each other, particularly around meals.  Also the mast heads have been discussed.  I just looked at a physical copy, though, and it seems I have not really made a dent in the book.  Oh, dear.

A Hard Day's Knight (Nightside, Bk 11) by Simon R. Green (library OverDrive ebook) - I'm enjoying this so far.  John has gone to London Proper to seek the Knights of the Round Table for advice on dealing with Excalibur.

Eye of the Shoal : a Fish-watcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean and Everything by Helen Scales (library hardcover) - So far this is interesting, despite a bit too much evolution talk.  It seems to tie in well with Moby Dick.

Up next:

 

Nothing has changed from last week here.  My reading has reached snail pace.

The Saturday Morning Murder (Michael Ohayon, Bk 1) by Batya Gur
The Silk Train Murder (Kondike Era Mystery, Bk 1) by Sharon Rowse
Who Moved My Goat Cheese? (Farm-to-Fork Mystery, Bk 1) by Lynn Cahoon
Murder at the Mansion (Victorian Village Mystery, Bk 1) by Sheila Connolly
Bannerless (Bannerless, Bk 1) by Carrie Vaughn
Cat About Town (Cat Cafe Mystery, Bk 1) by Cate Conte
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (book discussion book)
The Door to the Lost by Jaleigh Johnson
The Scroll of Kings (Lost Books, Bk 1) by Sarah Prineas
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi; Translated by Jonathan Wright
Tricks for Free (InCryptid, Bk 7) by Seanan McGuire
Happy Cactus: Cacti, Succulents, and More

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7/23/2018

Hosted by: Book Date

Another week has passed.  My sister and BIL (who have been staying with us) finally signed for their new house...next door.  Now they just need to wait for the tenants to leave and get some basic reno/remodeling done and they will be moving out - with the 3 kiddos, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 guinea pigs, 2 birds, and 1 bearded dragon.  I love them, but I can't wait!  So close! I suspect this next month or two before things settle may be the hardest for me.

Earlier this summer I won a free helicopter ride over my hometown.  I plan to use it this week, so I'm super psyched!

On the reading side, most of what I read was short, but at least it feels like I've accomplished something...

This week I finished reading:

The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (Nightside, Bk 10) by Simon R. Green - [My post / re-read] I've already started book 11, A Hard Day's Knight.

Mary Flora Bell: The Horrific True Story Behind an Innocent Girl Serial Killer by Nancy A. Veysey and Ryan Becker - [My post]

White Sand Blues (Ashley Grant, Bk 1) by Vicki Delany - [My post] The first book I've read for the 12th annual Canadian Book Challenge!

Dog Dish of Doom (Agent to the Paws, Bk 1) by E. J. Copperman - [My post] I look forward to reading book 2, Bird, Bath, and Beyond (I have a review copy).

Saving Fiona: The Story of the World's Most Famous Baby Hippo by Thane Maynard - [Goodreads] This children's story tells the story of premature hippo Fiona who was born at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in early 2017.  A cute feel-good story.  The end includes facts about hippos.

I'm currently reading:

In audio (on CD), I've been listening to Moby Dick by Herman Melville (read by Paul Boehmer).  This week I heard an entire lecture on the ways whaling is a good, beneficial industry (sorry not buying it), heard a description of the ship and its set off for the upcoming 3 year journey, and been introduced to the ship officers.  The last part was particularly difficult for me to focus on, unfortunately.  I found my mind wandering throughout.

A Hard Day's Knight (Nightside, Bk 11) by Simon R. Green (library OverDrive ebook)

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke (Edelweiss+ review copy ebook)

Eye of the Shoal : a Fish-watcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean and Everything by Helen Scales (library hardcover)

Coyote Tales by Thomas King (library Hoopla ebook) - American/Canadian author

The Story: Chapter 1 "Creation: The Beginning of Life as We Know It" - (library Hoopla eAudio) - I saw a later chapter on another blog on a previous Monday - I can't remember who/where - and decided to try it.

Up next:

 

I have returned yet more library books unread.  Some of the library books I still have out include (my apologies for the low-quality pic above):

The Saturday Morning Murder (Michael Ohayon, Bk 1) by Batya Gur
The Silk Train Murder (Kondike Era Mystery, Bk 1) by Sharon Rowse
Who Moved My Goat Cheese? (Farm-to-Fork Mystery, Bk 1) by Lynn Cahoon
Murder at the Mansion (Victorian Village Mystery, Bk 1) by Sheila Connolly
Bannerless (Bannerless, Bk 1) by Carrie Vaughn
Cat About Town (Cat Cafe Mystery, Bk 1) by Cate Conte
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (book discussion book)
The Door to the Lost by Jaleigh Johnson
The Scroll of Kings (Lost Books, Bk 1) by Sarah Prineas
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi; Translated by Jonathan Wright
Tricks for Free (InCryptid, Bk 7) by Seanan McGuire
Happy Cactus: Cacti, Succulents, and More

The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny

Title: The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny

Author: Simon R. Green

Series: Nightside, Bk 10

ISBN: 9781101171455

Obtained: Library ebook copy

Comments:

I decided it is about time I finish this series.  Unfortunately, I forgot that I had already read this one.  All worked out, though, because while scenes were vaguely familiar as I read them, I remembered nothing in advance.  I do have a post from the first time I read this, but I will not be reading it until after I've written this one so I can provide fresh impressions.

I felt like I had already been through the bulk of the story, and then saw that I had just finished chapter 2.  The majority of this book was like that.  Loosely linked together with some connected threads, but told in what seemed more like short stories or episodes.  I do still enjoy this series, but I can tell I've forgotten a lot.  In that sense, the way this is written allowed me to be reintroduced to a number of characters that I recognize from throughout the series, but didn't distinctly remember.

And now I am ready to read book 11, A Hard Day's Knight.

I've gone back and re-read my first post, and I thinking I may need to re-read the other books in this series as well.  Apparently, I last read this in 2010.  What was I thinking to let such time pass by!

It's Monday! What are you reading? 7/16/2018

Hosted by: Book Date

It's been a week.  Dog training classes (2), book club, crafting night, volunteering (at a local cat rescue), worship, work, and some family things.  All in the life.

One of the dogs is on a mole hunt in the backyard.  She has dug several large holes along the fence-line trying to catch this mole.  Last year it took her the bulk of the summer to catch the mole plaguing us, and in the meantime we ended up with holes across the entire yard.  You can tell where it/they move(s) by watching the dog (as well as the tunnels that pop up, of course). Her head cocks as she listens, she sniffs around, and next thing you know dirt is flying.  Once she has decided the mole is out of reach she comes back with a dirty brown nose, dirty white sock paws, and an innocent "didn't I do good?" look.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I finally have my desktop set up!  (Many thanks to my father who spent hours running virus protection on my old, tired Vista and then more transferring all my files to a portable external hard drive.)  I've been a year+ just borrowing other computers.  This should definitely help my blogging.

This week I finished reading:

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig - [My post] An emotional and intense read.


From the Charred Remains (Lucy Campion Mystery, Bk 2) by Susanna Calkins - [My post] I look forward to beginning book three in this series.

I'm currently reading:

In audio (on CD), I've been listening to Moby Dick by Herman Melville (read by Paul Boehmer).  I haven't gotten much further in this story because I had some (Celtic) music CDs come in.  Ishmael has secured his place on the whaling vessel of his choice and will be introducing Queequeg.


Mary Flora Bell : The Horrific True Story Behind an Innocent Girl Serial Killer by Nancy A. Veysey and Ryan Becker - This book needed a lot more editing.  The punctuation is horrible, and the actual writing is too casual and scattered.  But the story and content is interesting (if horrifying and tragic).

The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (Nightside, Bk 10) by Simon R. Green - A new coworker's question about if I've been reading anything good lately brought the revelation that I haven't been reading enough fantasy lately.  So I decided to finish up the Nightside series.  I thought I was picking up where I left off, but as I've been reading the story began to feel vaguely familiar.  That would be because I've read it before... [My original post]  I'm going to finish it out without reading my post, and I guess this can still be a springboard to the end of the series.

Up next:

I have too many library books at once, and had to return some unread.  I hope to get back to them some other time.  Some of the library books I still have out include:

Eye of the Shoal : a Fish-watcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean and Everything by Helen Scales
The Scroll of Kings (Lost Books, Bk 1) by Sarah Prineas
White Sand Blues (Ashley Grant Mystery, Bk 1) by Vicki Delany (Canadian Author)
Almost Adulting: All You Need to Know to Get It Together (Sort Of) by Arden Rose

The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny

Title: The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny

Author: Simon R. Green

Publisher: ACE

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: January 2010

ISBN: 9780441018161

Pages: 275

Series: 10th full-length novel of the Nightside

Book Description:

In the Nightside — that hidden area in the middle of London where time stands still at three A.M. and the sun won't rise to refute it — nightmares go walking in borrowed flesh, and not everything that looks back at you with human eyes is really human. [...] in the night that never ends?

I do. I'm John Taylor, a PI with a knack for finding things, a talent that had made me wealthy enough to choose my own cases helping those the Nightside has chewed up and wass about to spit out. All things considered, my life lately had been bright, even in this shadowy place.

So it was only a matter of time before everything hit the fan and I found myself accepting jobs I really should have refused. First I agreed to escort an elf — a creature unwelcome even in the Nightside — across town. Then the Dead Detective, Larry Oblivion, asked me to help find his brother who vanished during the Lilith War.

And then Walker — the powerful, ever-present, never-to-be-trusted agent who runs the Nightside on behalf of the Authorities — came around. He told me he was dying and that he, too, had a job for men. An important job.

His.

Comments:

I read this — and started typing up the basic details here — in March. In the weeks since some of the details I intended to include in the Comments have blurred, but I'll try to provide my full impressions.

Some small details...

Toward the beginning of the book, John takes a job escorting an Elf. I wanted to point out, for clarification, that an "elf" in the nightside is actually a Faerie.

John also decides to help Larry Oblivion in this book. I was a little confused about here. I think (if I remember correctly) Larry has become one of the new Authorities. But something about the way he (Larry) talks about the Authorities, or maybe it's his interaction with Walker, who works for the Authorities (this is one of those points that have blurred) confused me. It hasn't been that long since I read Just Another Judgement Day, but I started wondering if I misremembered. Otherwise... ??? And since it's already been returned to the library, I can't check.

As usual for this series, there is quite a bit of darkness, etc. John may find his own contentedness, but the Nightside will always be dark, morbid, etc.

If I understand/"heard" correctly, only two more Nightside books will be published, so it's nearing the end. That did not stop Mr. Green from tossing in some new plotlines. I enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading books 11 and 12. And while I've only read his Nighside novels so far, Simon R. Green has become one of my favorite authors.

Just Another Judgement Day

Title: Just Another Judgement Day

Author: Simon R. Green

Publisher: ACE

Copyright Date: 2009

Print Date: January 2009

ISBN: 9780441016747

Pages: 263

Series: 9th full-length Novel of the Nightside

Book Description (from dust jacket):

I'm John Taylor. I work as a PI out of an office tucked away on a shadowy street in a corner of the Nightside, that secret centre of London where the clocks always read three A.M., where terrible things happen with predictable regularity, and where the always-dark streets are full of people partying like Judgement Day will never come.

Now it may have arrived — God's own enforcer, the righteous engine of destruction known as the Walking Man, has come to the Nightside.

The past few months, the Nightside has seen its share of chaos, some of it because of me. Still, things were getting back to as normal as they can ever be around here. But the arrival of the Walking Man has the Authorities seriously worried. He's a being whose sole purpose in life is the elimination of the wicked and the guilty — and given the nature of the Nightside, there's a good chance that once he gets started, he'll just keep on until there's no-one left.

So they've hired me to stop him. Legend has it that he can't be killed. I'm very much hoping that the legend isn't true...

Comments:

I really enjoy this series; this book was no exception. I'm not quite sure why that is — the whole series is gory and disturbing and pokes at various human flaws and ideologies.

Anyway, this time John has been hired to help the new Authorities to keep the Nightside — and them — from being wiped out in the name of "justice" and vengence and "God." Some familiar characters appear as do some new. Themes addressed include humans preferring false beauty to true ugliness (even when the truth was requested), the utter lows of what humans can be and do (and the existance of human monsters), reasoning vs. violence in the name of right and good, blind faith vs. reasoned faith, pride and humility, fate vs. free choice vs. a combo-deal, the virtues of hope, and the potential for miracles. Quite a lot there, but it doesn't come across as preachy or anything...just questioning (or, maybe it'd be more accurate to say, prodding the reader to question).

I've read some reviews by people feeling let down by this book. They feel that the series is due to end. I, however, did enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to reading The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny which came out this January (I have it on hold at the local library). In any case, the series is scheduled to end with book 12.