[–] 5 points 1 week ago* (1 child)

I read Sigyn's Sigil by Megan Trotter. I'll write a more thorough commentary here than I sometimes do because this is self published by a local (?) writer and I expect you'll have difficulty sourcing you own copies. It wasn't even listed on Storygraph until I added it myself.

Last time I left the used book sale with a self-published book like this, I complained here about offensive restrictions on the copyright page. No such objections can be made about this book, and that's because it ... well, it doesn't have a copyright page. The front cover is nicely illustrated, the half-title page is autographed by the author, and then it's straight into chapter one. Not even a list of the author's other works, although I suspect this is a sequel to Sigyn's Song.

Sigyn used to be a mermaid, possibly one heavily inspired by HCA's Little Mermaid. Now in Sigil, she has fresh legs and lungs in her humanoid form. She also has the hots for the Norse god Loki, but is insecure about it because as a siren, she can make anyone fall in love with her and isn't sure if Loki's feelings are real or magic. Anyway, she and Loki are hanging out with Thor because he needs help getting his hammer, Mjollnir back from the giants. Apparently he mislaid it while whoring it up with some festival wench. The giant king is apparently willing to return it if Freya marries him, which isn't going to happen. So Loki shapeshifts Thor into the form of the goddess Freya, and himself into her handmaiden and the three 'girls' set off to trade her for Thor's hammer. Other than Sigyn's involvement, this plot line is from Thrymskvidha in the Poetic Edda, portions of which are excerpted for the chapter headings. Amazingly, they manage to pull this ruse off, despite the gods' unladylike behavior. Giant shaman Ymir knows the truth and doesn't out them, but isn't as helpful as they'd hoped although he seems to not want to get Sigyn killed for her part in this. They learn the hammer is hidden in the ocean, and Sigyn displays heroism and her mermaid background to recover it, while protecting the team from a deadly horse shaped water Nokk. Thor gets his hammer back and Ymir bestows Sigyn with a magic water sigil. They also liberated the Egyptian god, Set from Thrym's dungeon and might be setting up for a sequel involving him.

Romantasy isn't a genre I usually seek out, although I found this more humorous than erotic, and better writing and proofreading than some more commercially successful authors I've read. As appropriate for a polytheistic setting, the characters never say "goddamn", it's always "godsdamn". I wasn't sure what to expect from a book like this, but I think it satisfied my expectations anyway.

  • source
  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    Here's how I've scored my card so far:

    Not claiming bingo yet, but could drop one quickly, especially if I reclassify a few things. Currently reading something by an Australian lady and intend to mark B2 next.

  • source
  • [–] 6 points 4 weeks ago

    I'm reading two because they're related. Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, and White Fire by Preston and Child. I've mostly had second-hand exposure to Sherlock Holmes, and figured if I'm going to read / watch / play things inspired by the thing, it's time to read the original thing directly. At about the halfway point, I'm liking both and hoping they finish strong.

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

    The Devil Amongst the Lawyers, by Sharyn McCrumb. It's based on the 1935 trial of Edith Maxwell, but fictionalized enough that the author saw fit to change her name to Erma Morton. Except that it not about her at all, because nobody really cares about her story. Especially not the New York reporters descending upon Wise County, looking for the next Lindbergh baby case to sensationalize. (They've agreed Erma is a hottie, hence that portraying her as innocent is better business, facts notwithstanding.) Lots of Appalachian culture, as expected from McCrumb, but a surprising amount of Japanese culture due to one of the New Yorkers recalling his years in Japan hiding from American law.

  • source
  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago

    Finished up Purity by Jonathan Franzen. Took a little longer to get through than I'd thought, either because I had other things on my mind, or because I reread the confusing parts. There are some complicated strands of plot, told out of chronological order, but I think it eventually fits together sensibly. I'd recommend this one and might take a chance on one of Franzen's other books.

  • source
  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago

    A young niece is about to be gifted a copy of Who's Saying What in Jamestown, Thomas Savage? by Jean Fritz with illustrations by Sally Wern Comport. I was invited to quickly read it before mother mails it off as it pertains to all of our family history. It reads like a biography, but is rightly classified as fiction as the author confesses to a lot of interpolating between sparse historical records to make a child-friendly story. It's probably a little too advanced for a 1st grader, but in a few more years she might read it.

  • source
  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago

    Finished up Bones of Betrayal by Jefferson Bass. It's more fun for people familiar enough with Oak Ridge to recognize some of the landmarks. I do know Oak Ridge, but not as well as the person who recommended this book to me.

    I think up next is going to be Purity by Jonathan Franzen who is a new author for me. The title character and most of the people she meets in the first 50 pages are, if not complete basket cases, deeply flawed humans, so it might get interesting.

  • source
  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. It's an interesting look into Manchurian folklore, with Snow's explanations about how fox-girls like her see the human world, navigating potentially dangerous interactions with superstitious humans. The lady who sold it to me said it was excellent, but I'll have to see how it ends before saying if I agree.

    It's a match for the 'Supplementary' bingo square, even though the author's note unfortunately includes "However, I realized readers might not be fond of footnotes so I cut back on them." There's plenty of room left in the margins, and she'd have heard no complaints from me if she'd done as she originally proposed. I like marginalia.

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago

    About 1/3 through Still Life With Crows by Preston and Child. In a deviation from my usual pattern, I'm reading the AXL Pendergast novels in order, at least through the first four ( I don't have #5 and might skip to #13 next.)

  • source
  • [–] 7 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    I usually like Niven and Pournelle's stuff, and particularly recommend The Mote in God's Eye for a great first contact encounter. There's a sequel The Gripping Hand which is not as great, but still worth the read.

  • source
  •  

    This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

    I found this notice on the copyright page of something I bought at a recent used book sale. I can't recall seeing a warning so overtly hostile to book borrowers and hope I never do again. I know about the first sale doctrine, and that this is completely unenforceable, but it still offends me. Should I contact the author for instructions on returning it unread?

    view more: next ›