I would say that was the weakest of the Company books. If I recall correctly, the third book was when she decided to make a series of the thing, instead of just an idea that made for a good foundation for writing stories. The series stayed really strong until the last book or so. I found the last book particularly meh, not as “bad” as Sky Coyote, but a serious step down from the earlier highs.
I’m sorry – happily ever after. Guess I’ve been reading too many romance blogs! 
Ah! I like to think I would have got there eventually.
One of the things I like about Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing is that he doesn’t feel compelled to have everybody survive. He has a knack for killing off characters that I’ve come to love quite strongly.
I haven’t read the newest one, but when I read Ysabel earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see him get away from the formula he has established with Tigana, Lions of Al-Rassan, Song for Arbonne, Sailing to Sarantium/God of Emperors, etc. Not that they aren’t good, light reading with some really outstanding moments, but the pattern was getting too evident, in my opinion. Ysabel was something I’d recommend highly.
Thanks, that’s good to hear. I have Mendoza in Hollywood lined up to read soon.
I finished another of Barbara Hambly’s mysteries, Sold Down the River, set in New Orleans in the early 1800’s. Janvier goes undercover as a slave on a sugar cane plantation to try to catch a saboteur. The book was very good, once you get past the suspension of disbelief required - that he would allow himself to be put in that position for any reason.
Finished The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara. Good account of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Now reading a novel, Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, by Karl Marlantes.
He didn’t do that in Lions. I didn’t think any of the three main characters should have survived the situations he put them in. If I remember right, the woman didn’t end up with the guy I wanted her to end up with either.
I’ll try Ysabel. There should be cheap used copies around.
I’m about half way in and it’s so engrossing I almost have to remind myself to breath. I’ll be interested to know what you think of it, Chefguy.
Great, great book (Joshua Chamberlain is a hero of mine). A few years ago my Civil War roundtable had a debate as to what was the best book about the Civil War; The Killer Angels won by a wide margin. The Martin Sheen/Jeff Bridges/Tom Berenger movie Gettysburg is based on it, as you probably know.
Slight hijack - I thought this was a good place to link to an article in yesterday’s Toronto Star - An Ontario story for every taste. The Wines of Ontario site has paired an Ontario wine and an Ontario craft-brewed beer for each of the 17 nominations for this year’s Trillium awards. For the list, go to the Wines of Ontario link and click the link under ‘Read Local, Drink Local’ (sic) or click this linkfor the PDF.
I thought this was a brilliant idea…
13 Bankers" The story of how the large bankers corrupted the banking system and have the power to prevent it getting fixed. It was written by a couple economists, Simon Johnson and James Kwak.
I also have a bird identification book. i started feeding and giving water to the birds around my yard and some came that I did not recognize. They were not in the book though.
Just finished The Name Of This Book Is Secret. I don’t care for books where the author breaks the fourth wall all the time. Also, it was dull.
Just finished A.E. Haswell Miller’s Vanished Armies, ed. by John Mollo. Miller was fascinated by military uniforms and wandered through Europe in the decade before World War I, sketching and painting all those he saw, before all of the colorful and varied uniforms of Great Britain, France, Germany, etc. were lost in the drab battlefield dress of the trenches. The book is a collection of his extraordinarily detailed artwork, impressive in its own right, but also for the calamity it foreshadowed.
I’m still on So Cold the River by Michael Koryta. It’s too early to recommend it, but one thing I really like is that when someone experiences something supernatural, they talk about it. They tell people! They tell people who might have some insight! They don’t keep it to themselves, worrying about whether someone will think they’re crazy. This is unusual behavior for a horror novel, and it’s something a real person would do. At least I would.
Just finished *The Brain That Changes Itself *- a wonderful fascinating collections of stories about the plasticity of the brain. It is an easy read (heck, 1/4 of it are appendices) and the stories were quite inspiring to me. I confess I was a little disturbed over some of the descriptions of the experiments on animals (which were not really too graphic, I just sometimes am bothered by such things.) If you have any interest at all in the field of neuroplasticity, give this one a read. I devoured it in a day (but skipped the chapter on sex and attraction and the appendices.)
I just started I Am Not A Serial Killer today, and I’m up to chapter six. I’m loving it so far. It’s been a long time since I’ve opened a book and been afraid I’m going to gobble it up way too soon. Like resisting the urge to bite into a piece of really good chocolate. 
This is good story telling.
Currently enjoying Retromancer, by Robert Rankin. My husband asked me what it was about the other day, and I made such a mess of trying to explain it that I’ll just give y’all the Publishers Weekly review:
I always find Rankin’s stuff fun and forgettable.
Just started The Bohemian Girl by Kenneth Cameron. Apparently second in a series about a Civil War-veteran novelist living in London, who solves mysteries. Only on Page 45 but I really like it so far.
I just finished the second Christopher Brookmyre book, Country of the Blind. This genre is apparently called “tartan noir”, which amuses me. I’m not a big fan of crime novels, but add some humor and some Scottish dialect and I’m there. This one is about evil politicians and their incompetent henchmen who ultimately get trounced by the people they’re trying to victimize. It’s a bit dated, with a lot of references to British politics in the 90’s.
AuntiePam, I think this book was better than the first one. No gore or bodily waste, for one thing. Except I think you’re not a fan of happy endings, and like the first book, the ending of this one was practically triumphant.
I’m slogging my way through Antonia Fraser’s book about Oliver Cromwell. I wanted something on the English civil war, and I happened to have this book in the house. It’s a pretty dry read so far.
I’m okay with happy endings if they make sense – if they’re not contrived just to make the reader feel good. I liked the main character in the first book, and I liked Sarah (? the murdered man’s ex) too.