SA, so glad you enjoyed Ashtown Burials! Did you have a favourite part or character? One of my favourite parts is in The Drowned Vault,

Spoiler

when Daniel is talking to his dad and:
"And then his father laughed, a laugh Daniel had not heard in years, a laugh he had never really heard, because this laugh was bigger and richer and deeper than any that had ever echoed in the chest of that body in the freezer.
'Son,' his father said. 'Run faithfully to the end, and like all good men, you will die of having lived.'"

I also really loved Mercy and

Spoiler

hope she sticks around through the fourth book

.
Ahh, it's your sister's loss then. And I hope you enjoy 100 Cupboards!

Mmmm, I really liked Cyrus and Rupe...and Daniel...and Diane. I love that part of the series too. I can't think of my favorite parts right now, but I had several. I should have posted as soon as I finished the series, but I forgot.

I am enjoying the 100 Cupboards series, but I definitely enjoyed the Ashtown Burials more.

I am currently stuck about 1/2 way through The Chestnut King. All of my evenings lately have been either playing board games with family or watching Hallmark Christmas movies with my sisters or both. I really need to take an evening and finish the series.

I did read Long Way Gone by Charles Martin last week, and it's at least a two hankie book plus a private corner/nook. But it was really good. It had a plot twist similar to When Crickets Cry near the end.

SnowAngel

Did you have anytime to read over Thanksgiving, fk?

I'm glad you enjoyed the series, SA, though you can't remember your favorite parts (that happens to me all the time too ). I'm also glad you're enjoying 100 Cupboards (though I liked Ashtown better too ). Have you had a chance to finish The Chestnut King yet?
Glad you enjoyed Long Way Gone. Have you read books greater than two hankie books?

I'm about halfway through The Mill on the Floss now. I'm not sure if it's actually picked up pace or if I'm just trying to get through it faster, but it's going a bit faster. I'll be glad to finish, though: nobody is kind, and it's a bit frustrating and sad that

Did you have anytime to read over Thanksgiving, fk?

I did. I finished up the Chestnut King over a couple days ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know if would qualify as some of my favorite books ever written, but I'm glad I read it once.

I did feel like I would have appreciated a little more character development. I probably just need to reread it, but it was hard for me to remember who was who.
But thanks to those of you who recommended this series, I really did enjoy it very much.
Actually, it reminded me a bit in the Attolia series as The Thief was sort of an introduction and Queen and King were all action. That's how these three felt to me. The first one was the build-up tension and the latter two were all action.

Glad to hear you enjoyed them, fk! I think I've read the first book a few times, the second book a couple of times, and the third book just once, so...

Good point about the first being build-up and the second and third being action.

On the same thread, I just found out that Amazon has an entry with title, release date, and synopsis, for the 100 Cupboards prequel (and Ashtown Burials prequel?): The Door Before, June 27th, and

Hyacinth Smith can see things that others miss, stop attack dogs from attacking, and grow trees where no trees have grown before. But she’s never had a real home. When her father tells them they’ve inherited a house from their great-aunt, Hyacinth sees trouble brewing. Their great-aunt has been playing with forces beyond her control, using her lightning-tree forest to create doors to other worlds. When one door opens, two boys tumble through . . . bringing with them a battle with the undying witch-queen, Nimiane. Hyacinth, together with the boys, must use her newfound magic and all of her courage to journey straight into the witch’s kingdom in a daring plan to trap evil and kill the immortal.

(See, it's got a Smith. ) The synopsis sounds a little...well, not the most intriguing

, but I'll give it a read for sure when it comes out. Also, speculation:

I'm 3/4 of the way through The Mill on the Floss and I can't wait to finish: the impending tragedy just keeps building and you just know there's not going to be a happy escape.

I just borrowed The Way of Kings from a friend. I'm hoping to get to it soon, though it may not happen until Christmas (or not then...it's looking packed already).

Speaking of keeping Henry's family straight... allow me to offer a visual aid. (contains spoilers for all three books)

re: Valia's spoiler/speculation on the new book

;)) I'm glad you enjoyed the series, SA, though you can't remember your favorite parts (that happens to me all the time too ). I'm also glad you're enjoying 100 Cupboards (though I liked Ashtown better too ). Have you had a chance to finish The Chestnut King yet?
Glad you enjoyed Long Way Gone. Have you read books greater than two hankie books?

Almost two weeks after I started it I finished The Chestnut King. It was good, but I definitely like Ashtown better (as in I would add the Ashtown Burials to my book collection that isn't suppose to be added to kind of better).

I zoomed through Boys of Blur reading it in less than two days. I enjoyed it, but the last part of the book felt rushed to me.

Next up tackling the rest of my library books and then hopefully onto Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig.

SnowAngel

As you all are speaking so highly of the Ashtown Burials I'll have to remember to read that at some point. But that will probably have to come after Christmas due to the busy Holiday season.

I'm also quite intrigued by the Mistborn series that has been quite highly recommended on here.

Mel, that chart helps me with names but everyone still blurred together. Well, everyone but

. It's been a while, so please remind me: what are the known facts?

SA. I own the three Ashtown books, but haven't found The Chestnut King at a booksale yet, so...

fk, I do recommend Ashtown Burials, but they're different from 100 Cupboards. I'm not sure this is the best way to put it, but the feel of Cupboards is more like Narnia meets Oz with a good blend of children's fantasy while Ashtown is more of a mix of classic adventure stories, Percy Jackson, and something else I can't quite put my finger on.
Mistborn is good too. It's more big-picture fantasy, but it keeps pace pretty well.

I finished The Mill on the Floss. Does anyone know why it was lysander's favorite, or did I somehow mix it up with Middlemarch?

I'm sure there was some important message in the story, but mostly it felt very futile and a terrible picture of life without Christ...

I've stuck Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates in my bag to go to work next. I'm a little leery to stick The Way of Kings in may bag and haul it back and forth. I left the dust jacket with my friend, but the book still looks too nice to carry about...

Ooh, Ashtown Burials and the 100 Cupboards series! I've read both of those and am about to listen to The Dragon's Tooth.

Mel, thanks for sharing Henry's family tree! Quite helpful.

fk, I enjoyed the Mistborn series. I may or may not have binge-read the series over the summer. It is long but enjoyable.

SA, I've read Notes From A Tilt-A-Whirl . Have you read Death by Living ? It's a bit more fine-tuned and he lays out his worldview well. It's been neat to see how that translates to his books. Outlaws of Time tied in particularly well, I thought.

Finished Anna Karenina recently. Has anyone else here read it? If so, what did you think?

Valia, based on my most recent re-read of the 100 Cupboards trilogy I'd say the facts are thus: When one door opens, two boys tumble through . . . bringing with them a battle with the undying witch-queen, Nimiane. Hyacinth, together with the boys, must use her newfound magic and all of her courage to journey straight into the witch’s kingdom in a daring plan to trap evil and kill the immortal. So, basically, the new info is 1) Hyacinth is actually a Smith and 2) she was there when Nimiane was imprisoned so 3) no wonder Nimiane wasn't fond of the family.

Meadow, I've read Anna Karenina a few times. I tend to forget the Levin/Kitty plotline entirely, which is sad because it's the more hopeful thread winding through the story.

I just finished the Mistborn series. It's... not my favorite example of the

, but it did have a few interesting twists.Overall, it was a fun read, but I think Sanderson's later work improves in leaps and bounds.

I'm still working my way through Ben Hur. If I buckled down, I could finish it.

Hope you enjoy your listen to The Dragon's Tooth, Meadow!

Mel, thanks for the bolding, though I actually meant: What are the facts in The 100 Cupboards that line up with your theory? Besides, I guess,

And in writing that, I think I figured out one of my hesitations with the synopsis:Also,

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Hans Brinker. Years ago, I had read a copy that I was pretty sure was abridged and now I'm certain: I am quite unclear as to why it's called Hans Brinker when half the book has ignored Hans and instead has focused on the history and culture of the Netherlands through the lens of a skating trip and an English cousin. Don't get me wrong, it's interesting and fun, but it really seems like two different books/stories that got smushed together---even the Silver Skates subtitle doesn't tie it together very well.

Valia, the bolded text IS what I remember of the details mentioned in two and three. ...But you're right

Does anybody know anything about 'Wingfeather Tales' ? I just ran across it by accident this morning.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0986381896/re ... UTF8&psc=1

Conspiracy of Silence (the Tox Files #1) by Ronie Kendig arrived in the mail early last week and I made myself read through it slowly (that means in two and half days instead of one day). It was awesome! Nobody writes action-packed fiction like Ronie Kendig. Conspiracy of Silence already has a spot on my special bookshelf. Now I just need to finish writing my review and post around.

I can't get my sisters to read the four books I have by Ronie Kendig, so I am seriously thinking about driving them crazy with a countdown to Crown of Souls' (the Tox Files book 2) release which should probably included reading one of Ronie Kendig's other books every month. But Crown of Souls doesn't have a release date yet!

SnowAngel

Mel, ah, gotcha. I can't check anything in Dandelion Fire because I can't figure out where it is: I look at my shelves at the house and think it must be at the apartment, then look at the my shelf at the apartment and think it must be at the house...

Huh, fk! I haven't read any of the Wingfeather books, but it sounds like an interesting collection.

SA. Do you think a countdown will actually change their minds?

I finished Hans Brinker, Or the Silver Skates. It was interesting, but lacked focus or coherency. My earlier comments still stand and then the book ends

But, little me liked the Hans Brinker storyline, and older me liked the skating trip storyline, so I suppose it worked out.

I may get distracted by some smaller books along the way, but I think I'm going to start The Way of Kings next. If I can finish it before the New Year (*laughs at self* If you want to read over holidays, don't make plans over them...), that would be fantastic.