Category Archives: Prose

Chasing Before, by Lenore Appelhans

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Thistle

Disclaimer: Lenore and I have known each other through blogging for years, plus we’ve met in person several times and we talk on other social media sites. However, this review is as honest as I can make it, and I have … Continue reading →

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A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness (audio)

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Thistle

Diana Bishop is from a long line of witches, but she’s refused to use her magic since her parents got killed in Africa when she was seven. She’s now an adult studying at Oxford, and is not happy when a … Continue reading →

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Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Thistle

When Mary Anne Singleton visits San Francisco, she decides to stay there permanently, leaving her more traditional life back in Cleveland. She finds a place to live at 28 Barbary Lane, where the occupants of the various apartments operate much … Continue reading →

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A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Thistle

Okay. I loved the first two books in this series. I read them both earlier in the year, and my plan was to spread the five (as of now) books out through 2014. I decided it was about time to … Continue reading →

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Dreams of Gods and Monsters, by Laini Taylor

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Thistle

Ever have one of those books that you really, really want to read and at the same time, you are really, really terrified to read, because what if it doesn’t live up to your hopes and expectations? That was Dreams … Continue reading →

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Year of No Sugar, by Eve Schaub

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Thistle

Several years back, Eve Schaub, her husband, and her two daughters decided to spend a year not eating any added sugar. She blogged about the process, and eventually compiled this memoir about the results. Not sure where I first heard … Continue reading →

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Ruin and Rising, by Leigh Bardugo

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Thistle

Third in the Grisha series, after Shadow & Bone and Siege & Storm. This will be a hard one to write about. First, let me just say that Ruin & Rising was my number one most anticipated book of 2014. … Continue reading →

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Ninepins, by Rosy Thornton

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Thistle

Laura is a single mom of 12-year-old Beth, living out of the way in the fens, in a house dubbed Ninepins. Beth’s father is remarried and has three little boys, and Beth sees him every other weekend. Laura supplements her … Continue reading →

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The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud (audio)

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Thistle

Lucy is a ghost-hunter in alternate-world London. In this alternate world, ghosts of the dead frequently come back to haunt the living, and only children can see them (though adults can sense them to a certain degree). Ghost-hunting agencies then … Continue reading →

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Between Two Thorns, by Emma Newman

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Thistle

The plot of this story is a bit convoluted. There are three worlds: the fae world, where fae are trapped by Sorcerers, the real world, and the “in between” world, where some families live. I’m not sure if those families … Continue reading →

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